THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT 


WHEN  THE  WORLD  SHOOK 


WORKS    BY    H.    RIDER    HAGGARD 


PARLIAMENTARY  BLUE-BOOK. 
REPORT  TO  H.M.'s  GOVERNMENT  ON  THE  SALVATION 
ARMY  COLONIES  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,  WITH  SCHEME 
OF  NATIONAL  LAND  SETTLEMENT.     [Cd.  2562] 

POLITICAL  HISTORY. 
CETEWAYO  AND  HIS  WHITE  NEIGHBOURS. 


WORKS 


ON    SOCIOLOGY, 
AND  COUNTRY 


AGRICULTURE, 
LIFE. 


RURAL  ENGLAND  (a  vols.).   \  THE  POOR  AND  THE  LAND. 
RURAL  DENMARK  AND  ITS   REGENERATION. 
LESSONS.  I  A  FARMER'S  YEAR. 

A  GARDENER'S  YEAR. 

44  Mr.  Rider  Haggard  is  probably  most  widely  known  as  a 
novelist,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there  are  few  men  now  writ- 
ing English  whose  books  on  vital  sociological  questions  are  of 
such  value  as  his,  and  hardly  one  among  this  small  number 
who  has  grasped  as  he  has  grasped  the  dangers  that  beset  the 
future  of  the  English-speaking  people,  and  the  way  these  dan. 
gers  can  best  be  met." — Mr.  Theodore  Roosevelt  in  "  The  Out* 
took,"  New  York^July  /,  tqi  i. 

BOOK  OF  TRAVEL. 
A  WINTER  PILGRIMAGE. 


NOVELS. 


DAWN. 

THE  WITCH'S  HEAD. 

JESS. 

COLONEL  QUARITCH,  V.C. 


BEATRICE. 
JOAN  HASTE. 
DOCTOR  THERNE. 
STELLA  FREGELIUS. 


THE  WAY  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 
ROMANCES. 


KING  SOLOMON'S  MINES. 

SHE. 

AYESHA:  The  Return  of  She. 

ALLAN  QUATERMAIN. 

MR.  MEESON'S  WILL. 

ALLAN'S  WIFE. 

CLEOPATRA. 

ERIC  BRIGHTEYES. 

NADA  THE  LILY. 

MONTEZUMA'S  DAUGHTER. 

THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  MIST. 

HEART  OF  THE  WORLD. 

SWALLOW. 

MARIE. 

THE    MAHATMA    AND    THE 

HARE. 
ALLAN     AND    THE     HOLY 

FLOWER. 
FINISHED. 
MOON  OF  ISRAEL. 


BLACK  HEART  AND  WHITE 

HEART. 
LYSBETH. 
PEARL-MAIDEN. 
THE  BRETHREN. 
THE    SPIRIT   OF  BAMBATSB 

(BENITA). 

MARGARET. 

THE  GHOST  KINGS. 

THE  YELLOW  GOD:  AN  IDOL 

OF  AFRICA. 
MORNING  STAR. 
THE  LADY  op  BLOSSHOLME. 
QUEEN  SHEBA'S  RING. 
RED  EVE. 
CHILD  OF  STORM. 
THE  WANDERER'S  NECKLACE. 
THE  IVORY  CHILD. 
LOVE  ETERNAL. 


(In  Collaboration  with  Andrew  Lang) 
THE  WORLD'S  DESIRE. 


•'Daughter,   lead   these   strangers  to  me;  I  would   speak 
with  them."        (See  page  210.) 


When  the  World  Shook 

Being  an  Account  of  the  Great  Adventure 
of  Bastin,  Bickley  and  Arbuthnot 


BY 
H.  RIDER  HAGGARD 


LONGMANS,   GREEN  AND   CO. 

FOUR1H  AVENUE  &  30TH  STREET,  NEW  YORK 
1919 


COPY  RIGHT,   1918,   BY 

PAGBT  NEWSPAPER  SERVICE 

COPYRIGHT.  1919,  BY 
H.  RIDER  HAGGARD 


College 
Library 


DEDICA 


W57 
M3 

.TION 


Ditchingham,  1918. 

MY  DEAR    CURZON, 

More  than  thirty  years  ago  you  tried  to  protect  me,  then  a 
stranger  to  you,  from  one  of  the  falsest  and  most  malignant 
accusations  ever  made  against  a  writer. 

So  complete  was  your  exposure  of  the  methods  of  those  at 
work  to  blacken  a  person  whom  they  knew  to  be  innocent, 
that,  as  you  will  remember,  they  refused  to  publish  your 
analysis  which  destroyed  their  charges  and,  incidentally,  re- 
vealed their  motives. 

Although  for  this  reason  vindication  came  otherwise,  your 
kindness  is  one  that  I  have  never  forgotten,  since,  whatever 
the  immediate  issue  of  any  effort,  in  the  end  it  is  the  inten- 
tion that  avails. 

Therefore  in  gratitude  and  memory  I  ask  you  to  accept 
this  romance,  as  I  know  that  you  do  not  disdain  the  study  of 
romance  in  the  intervals  of  your  Imperial  work. 

The  application  of  its  parable  to  our  state  and  possibilities 
— beneath  or  beyond  these  glimpses  of  the  moon — I  leave  to 
your  discernment. 

Believe  me, 

Ever  sincerely  yours, 

H.  RIDER  HAGGARD. 
To 
The  Earl  Curson  of  Kedleston,  K.G. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PACE 

1.  ARBUTHNOT  DESCRIBES  HIMSELF        .         .         i 

2.  BASTIN  AND  BICKLEY        ....       14 

3.  NATALIE  ......       26 

4.  DEATH  AND  DEPARTURE   ....       39 

5.  THE  CYCLONE  .....       53 

6.  LAND     -.         .         .         .         .         .         -67 

7.  THE  OROFENANS      .....       84 

8.  BASTIN  ATTEMPTS  THE  MARTYR'S  CROWN      .       99 

9.  THE  ISLAND  IN  THE  LAKE        .         .         .114 

10.  THE  DWELLERS  IN  THE  TOMB    .         .         .     129 

11.  RESURRECTION  .....     144 

12.  Two  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  THOUSAND  YEARS!    161 

13.  ORO  SPEAKS  AND  BASTIN  ARGUES       .         .     180 

14.  THE  UNDER-WORLD  .         .         .         .         .196 

15.  ORO  IN  HIS  HOUSE    .         .         .         .         .211 

16.  VISIONS  OF  THE  PAST        ....     222 

17.  YVA  EXPLAINS         .....     236 

18.  THE  ACCIDENT         .....     253' 

19.  THE  PROPOSALS  OF  BASTIN  AND  BICKLEY    271 


vi  Contents 

CHAPTER  PACK 

20.  ORO  AND  ARBUTHNOT  TRAVEL  BY  NIGHT      .  286 

21.  LOVE'S  ETERNAL  ALTAR     ....  306 

22.  THE  COMMAND         .        V       .         .         .319 

23.  IN  THE  TEMPLE  OF  FATE        ...        .         .  332 

24.  THE  CHARIOT  OF  THE  PIT         .         .         .  349 

25.  SACRIFICE        ......  368 

26.  TOMMY  ......         .  384 

27.  BASTIN  DISCOVERS  A  RESEMBLANCE    .         .  398 

28.  NOTE  BY  J.  R.  BICKLEY,  M.R.C.S.      .         ,  406 


WHEN  THE  WORLD  SHOOK 

CHAPTER  I 

ARBUTHNOT   DESCRIBES    HIMSELF 

I  SUPPOSE  that  I,  Humphrey  Arbuthnot,  should  begin 
this  history  in  which  Destiny  has  caused  me  to  play  so 
prominent  a  part,  with  some  short  account  of  myself 
and  of  my  circumstances. 

I  was  born  forty  years  ago  in  this  very  Devonshire 
village  in  which  I  write,  but  not  in  the  same  house. 
Now  I  live  in  the  Priory,  an  ancient  place  and  a  fine  one 
in  its  way,  with  its  panelled  rooms,  its  beautiful  gardens 
where,  in  this  mild  climate,  in  addition  to  our  own, 
flourish  so  many  plants  which  one  would  only  expect  to 
find  in  countries  that  lie  nearer  to  the  sun,  and  its  green, 
undulating  park  studded  with  great  timber  trees.  The 
view,  too,  is  perfect;  behind  and  around  the  rich  Devon- 
shire landscape  with  its  hills  and  valleys  and  its  scarped 
faces  of  red  sandstone,  and  at  a  distance  in  front,  the  sea. 
There  are  little  towns  quite  near  too,  that  live  for  the 
most  part  on  visitors,  but  these  are  so  hidden  away  by 
the  contours  of  the  ground  that  from  the  Priory  one 
cannot  see  them.  Such  is  Fulcombe  where  I  live, 
though  for  obvious  reasons  I  do  not  give  it  its  real  name. 

Many  years  ago  my  father,  the  Rev.  Humphrey 
Arbuthnot,  whose  only  child  I  am,  after  whom  also 
I  am  named  Humphrey,  was  the  vicar  of  this  place  with 
which  our  family  is  said  to  have  some  rather  vague 

i 


2  When  the  World  Shook 

hereditary  connection.  If  so,  it  was  severed  in  the 
Carolian  times  because  my  ancestors  fought  on  the  side 
of  Parliament 

My  father  was  a  recluse,  and  a  widower,  for  my 
mother,  a  Scotswoman,  died  at  or  shortly  after  my 
birth.  Being  very  High  Church  for  those  days  he 
was  not  popular  with  the  family  that  owned  the 
Priory  before  me.  Indeed  its  head,  a  somewhat  vulgar 
person  of  the  name  of  Enfield  who  had  made  money  in 
trade,  almost  persecuted  him,  as  he  was  in  a  position  to 
do,  being  the  local  magnate  and  the  owner  of  the 
rectorial  tithes. 

I  mention  this  fact  because  owing  to  it  as  a  boy  I 
made  up  my  mind  that  one  day  I  would  buy  that  place 
and  sit  in  his  seat,  a  wild  enough  idea  at  the  time.  Yet 
it  became  engrained  in  me,  as  do  such  aspirations  of  our 
youth,  and  when  the  opportunity  arose  in  after  years  I 
carried  it  out.  Poor  old  Enfield!  He  fell  on  evil 
fortunes,  for  in  trying  to  bolster  up  a  favourite  son  who 
was  a  gambler,  a  spendthrift,  and  an  ungrateful  scamp, 
in  the  end  he  was  practically  ruined  and  when  the  bad 
times  came,  was  forced  to  sell  the  Fulcombe  estate.  I 
think  of  him  kindly  now,  for  after  all  he  was  good  to  me 
and  gave  me  many  a  day's  shooting  and  leave  to  fish 
for  trout  in  the  river. 

By  the  poor  people,  however,  of  all  the  district 
round,  for  the  parish  itself  is  very  small,  my  father  was 
much  beloved,  although  he  did  practise  confession, 
wear  vestments  and  set  lighted  candles  on  the  altar,  and 
was  even  said  to  have  openly  expressed  the  wish,  to 
which  however  he  never  attained,  that  he  could  see  a 
censer  swinging  in  the  chancel.  Indeed  the  church 
which,  as  monks  built  it,  is  very  large  and  fine,  was 
always  full  on  Sundays,  though  many  of  the  worship- 


Arbuthnot  Describes  Himself  3 

pers  came  from  far  away,  some  of  them  doubtless  out  of 
curiosity  because  of  its  papistical  repute,  also  because, 
in  a  learned  fashion,  my  father's  preaching  was  very 
good  indeed. 

For  my  part  I  feel  that  I  owe  much  to  these 
High-Church  views.  They  opened  certain  doors  to  me 
and  taught  me  something  of  the  mysteries  which  lie 
at  the  back  of  all  religions  and  therefore  have  their  home 
in  the  inspired  soul  of  man  whence  religions  are  born. 
Only  the  pity  is  that  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hun- 
dred he  never  discovers,  never  even  guesses  at  that 
entombed  aspiration,  never  sinks  a  shaft  down  on  to 
this  secret  but  most  precious  vein  of  ore. 

I  have  said  that  my  father  was  learned;  but  this  is  a 
mild  description,  for  never  did  I  know  anyone  quite  so 
learned.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who  is  so  good  all 
round  that  he  became  pre-eminent  in  nothing.  A  classic 
of  the  first  water,  a  very  respectable  mathematician,  an 
expert  in  theology,  a  student  of  sundry  foreign  lan- 
guages and  literature  in  his  lighter  moments,  an  inquirer 
into  sociology,  a  theoretical  musician  though  his  play- 
ing of  the  organ  excruciated  most  people  because  it  was 
too  correct,  a  really  first-class  authority  upon  flint  in- 
struments and  the  best  grower  of  garden  vegetables  in 
the  county,  also  of  apples — such  were  some  of  his 
attainments.  That  was  what  made  his  sermons  so 
popular,  since  at  times  one  or  the  other  of  these  subjects 
would  break  out  into  them,  his  theory  being  that  God 
spoke  to  us  through  all  of  these  things. 

But  if  I  began  to  drift  into  an  analysis  of  my  father's 
abilities,  I  should  never  stop.  It  would  take  a  book  to 
describe  them.  And  yet  mark  this,  with  them  all  his 
name  is  as  dead  to  the  world  to-day  as  though  he  had 
never  been.  Light  reflected  from  a  hundred  facets  dis- 


4  When  the  World  Shook 

sipates  itself  in  space  and  is  lost;  that  concentrated  in 
one  tremendous  ray  pierces  to  the  stars. 

Now  I  am  going  to  be  frank  about  myself,  for  with- 
out frankness  what  is  the  value  of  such  a  record  as  this? 
Then  it  becomes  simply  another  convention,  or  rather 
conventional  method  of  expressing  the  octoroon  kind  of 
truths  with  which  the  highly  civilised  races  feed  them- 
selves, as  fastidious  ladies  eat  cakes  and  bread  from 
which  all  but  the  smallest  particle  of  nourishment  has 
been  extracted. 

The  fact  is,  therefore,  that  I  inherited  most  of  my 
father's  abilities,  except  his  love  for  flint  instruments 
which  always  bored  me  to  distraction,  because  although 
they  are  by  association  really  the  most  human  of  things, 
somehow  to  me  they  never  convey  any  idea  of  humanity. 
In  addition  I  have  a  practical  side  which  he  lacked;  had 
he  possessed  it  surely  he  must  have  become  an  arch- 
bishop instead  of  dying  the  vicar  of  an  unknown  parish. 
Also  I  have  a  spiritual  sense,  mayhap  mystical  would 
be  a  better  term,  which  with  all  this  religion  was  missing 
from  my  father's  nature. 

For  I  think  that  notwithstanding  his  charity  and 
devotion  he  never  quite  got  away  from  the  shell  of 
things,  never  cracked  it  and  set  his  teeth  in  the  kernel 
which  alone  can  feed  our  souls.  His  keen  intellect, 
to  take  an  example,  recognised  every  one  of  the 
difficulties  of  our  faith  and  flashed  hither  and  thither  in 
the  darkness,  seeking  explanation,  seeking  light,  trying 
to  reconcile,  to  explain.  He  was  not  great  enough  to 
put  all  this  aside  and  go  straight  to  the  informing  Soul 
beneath  that  strives  to  express  itself  everywhere,  even 
through  those  husks  which  are  called  the  World,  the 
Flesh  and  the  Devil,  and  as  yet  does  not  always  quite 
succeed. 


Arbuthnot  Describes  Himself  5 

It  is  this  boggling  over  exteriors,  this  peering  into 
pitfalls,  this  desire  to  prove  that  what  such  senses  as  we 
have  tell  us  is  impossible,  is  in  fact  possible,  which 
causes  the  overthrow  of  many  an  earnest,  seeking  heart 
and  renders  its  work,  conducted  on  false  lines,  quite 
nugatory.  These  will  trust  to  themselves  and  their  own 
intelligence  and  not  be  content  to  spring  from  the  cliffs 
of  human  experience  into  the  everlasting  arms  of  that 
Infinite  which  are  stretched  out  to  receive  them  and  to 
give  them  rest  and  the  keys  of  knowledge.  When  will 
man  learn  what  was  taught  to  him  of  old,  that  faith  is 
the  only  plank  wherewith  he  can  float  upon  this  sea  and 
that  his  miserable  works  avail  him  nothing;  also  that  it 
is  a  plank  made  of  many  sorts  of  wood,  perhaps  to  suit 
our  different  weights  ? 

So  to  be  honest,  in  a  sense  I  believe  myself  to  be  my 
father's  superior,  and  I  know  that  he  agreed  with  me. 
Perhaps  this  is  owing  to  the  blood  of  my  Scotch  mother 
which  mixed  well  with  his  own;  perhaps  because  the 
essential  spirit  given  to  me,  though  cast  in  his  mould, 
was  in  fact  quite  different — or  of  another  alloy.  Do  we, 
I  wonder,  really  understand  that  there  are  millions  and 
billions  of  these  alloys,  so  many  indeed  that  Nature,  or 
whatever  is  behind  Nature,  never  uses  the  same  twice 
over?  That  is  why  no  two  human  beings  are  or  ever 
will  be  quite  identical.  Their  flesh,  the  body  of  their 
humiliation,  is  identical  in  all,  any  chemist  will  prove 
it  to  you,  but  that  which  animates  the  flesh  is  distinct 
and  different  because  it  conies  from  the  home  of  that 
infinite  variety  which  is  necessary  to  the  ultimate  evolu- 
tion of  the  good  and  bad  that  we  symbolise  as  heaven 
and  hell. 

Further,  I  had  and  to  a  certain  extent  still  have 
another  advantage  over  my  father,  which  certainly  came 


6  When  the  World  Shook 

to  me  from  my  mother,  who  was,  as  I  judge  from  all 
descriptions  and  such  likenesses  as  remain  of  her,  an 
extremely  handsome  woman.  I  was  born  much  better 
looking.  He  was  small  and  dark,  a  little  man  with  deep- 
set  eyes  and  beetling  brows.  I  am  also  dark,  but  tall 
above  the  average,  and  well  made.  I  do  not  know  that 
I  need  say  more  about  my  personal  appearance,  to  me 
not  a  very  attractive  subject,  but  the  fact  remains  that 
they  called  me  "  handsome  Humphrey"  at  the  Univer- 
sity, and  I  was  the  captain  of  my  college  boat  and  won 
many  prizes  at  athletic  sports  when  I  had  time  to  train 
for  them. 

Until  I  went  up  to  Oxford  my  father  educated  me, 
partly  because  he  knew  that  he  could  do  it  better  than 
anyone  else,  and  partly  to  save  school  expenses.  The 
experiment  was  very  successful,  as  my  love  of  all  outdoor 
sports  and  of  any  small  hazardous  adventure  that  came 
to  my  hand,  also  of  associating  with  fisherfolk  whom 
the  dangers  of  the  deep  make  men  among  men,  saved 
me  from  becoming  a  milksop.  For  the  rest  I  learned 
more  from  my  father,  whom  I  always  desired  to  please 
because  I  loved  him,  than  I  should  have  done  at  the 
best  and  most  costly  of  schools.  This  was  shown  when 
at  last  I  went  to  college  with  a  scholarship,  for  there  I 
did  very  well  indeed,  as  search  would  still  reveal. 

Here  I  had  better  set  out  some  of  my  shortcomings, 
which  in  their  sum  have  made  a  failure  of  me.  Yes,  a 
failure  in  the  highest  sense,  though  I  trust  what  Steven- 
son calls  "  a  faithful  failure."  These  have  their  root  in 
fastidiousness  and  that  lack  of  perseverance,  which  really 
means  a  lack  of  faith,  again  using  the  word  in  its  higher 
and  wider  sense.  For  if  one  had  real  faith  one  would 
always  persevere,  knowing  that  in  every  work  under- 
taken with  high  aim,  there  is  an  element  of  nobility, 


Arbuthnot  Describes  Himself  7 

however  humble  and  unrecognised  that  work  may  seem 
to  be.  God  after  all  is  the  God  of  Work,  it  is  written 
large  upon  the  face  of  the  Universe.  I  will  not  expand 
upon  the  thought;  it  would  lead  me  too  far  afield,  but 
those  who  have  understanding  will  know  what  I  mean. 

As  regards  what  I  interpret  as  fastidiousness,  this  is 
not  very  easy  to  express.  Perhaps  a  definition  will  help. 
I  am  like  a  man  with  an  over-developed  sense  of  smell, 
who  when  walking  through  a  foreign  city,  however  clean 
and  well  kept,  can  always  catch  the  evil  savours  that  are 
inseparable  from  such  cities.  More,  his  keen  perception 
of  them  interferes  with  all  other  perceptions  and  spoils 
his  walks.  The  result  is  that  in  after  years,  whenever 
he  thinks  of  that  beautiful  city,  he  remembers,  not 
its  historic  buildings  or  its  wide  boulevards,  or  whatever 
it  has  to  boast,  but  rather  its  ancient,  fish-like  smell. 
At  least  he  remembers  that  first  owing  to  this  defect  in 
his  temperament. 

So  it  is  with  everything.  A  lovely  woman  is 
spoiled  for  such  a  one  because  she  eats  too  much  or 
has  too  high  a  voice;  he  does  not  care  for  his  shoot- 
ing because  the  scenery  is  flat,  or  for  his  fishing 
because  the  gnats  bite  as  well  as  the  trout.  In  short  he 
is  out  of  tune  with  the  world  as  it  is.  Moreover,  this  is 
a  quality  which,  where  it  exists,  cannot  be  overcome;  it 
affects  day-labourers  as  well  as  gentlemen  at  large.  It 
is  bred  in  the  bone. 

Probably  the  second  failure-breeding  fault,  lack  of 
perseverance,  has  its  roots  in  the  first,  at  any  rate  in  my 
case.  At  least  on  leaving  college  with  some  reputation, 
I  was  called  to  the  Bar  where,  owing  to  certain  solicitor 
and  other  connections,  I  had  a  good  opening.  Also, 
owing  to  the  excellence  of  my  memory  and  powers  of 
work,  I  began  very  well,  making  money  even  during 


8  When  the  World  Shook 

my  first  year.  Then,  as  it  happened,  a  certain  case 
came  my  way  and,  my  leader  falling  ill  suddenly  after 
it  was  opened,  was  left  in  my  hands.  The  man  whose 
cause  I  was  pleading  was,  I  think,  one  of  the  biggest 
scoundrels  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  It  was  a  will  case 
and  if  he  won,  the  effect  would  be  to  beggar  two  most 
estimable  middle-aged  women  who  were  justly  entitled 
to  the  property,  to  which  end  personally  I  am  convinced 
he  had  committed  forgery;  the  perjury  that  accompanied 
it  I  do  not  even  mention. 

Well,  he  did  win,  thanks  to  me,  and  the  estimable 
middle-aged  ladies  were  beggared,  and  as  I  heard  after- 
wards, driven  to  such  extremities  that  one  of  them  died 
of  her  misery  and  the  other  became  a  lodging-house 
keeper.  The  details  do  not  matter,  but  I  may  explain 
that  these  ladies  were  unattractive  in  appearance  and 
manner  and  broke  down  beneath  my  cross-examination 
which  made  them  appear  to  be  telling  falsehoods, 
whereas  they  were  only  completely  confused.  Further, 
I  invented  an  ingenious  theory  of  the  facts  which, 
although  the  judge  regarded  it  with  suspicion,  convinced 
an  unusually  stupid  jury  who  gave  me  their  verdict. 

Everybody  congratulated  me  and  at  the  time  I  was 
triumphant,  especially  as  my  leader  had  declared  that 
our  case  was  impossible.  Afterwards,  however,  my 
conscience  smote  me  sorely,  so  much  so  that  arguing 
from  the  false  premise  of  this  business,  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  practice  of  the  Law  was  not  suited 
to  an  honest  man.  I  did  not  take  the  large  view  that 
such  matters  average  themselves  up  and  that  if  I  had 
done  harm  in  this  instance,  I  might  live  to  do  good  in 
many  others,  and  perhaps  become  a  just  judge,  even  a 
great  judge.  Here  I  may  mention  that  in  after  years, 
when  I  grew  rich,  I  rescued  that  surviving  old  lady 


Arbuthnot  Describes  Himself  9 

from  her  lodging-house,  although  to  this  day  she  does 
not  know  the  name  of  her  anonymous  friend.  So  by 
degrees,  without  saying  anything,  for  I  kept  on  my 
chambers,  I  slipped  out  of  practice,  to  the  great  disap- 
pointment of  everybody  connected  with  me,  and  took  to 
authorship. 

A  marvel  came  to  pass,  my  first  book  was  an  enor- 
mous success.  The  whole  world  talked  of  it.  A  leading 
journal,  delighted  to  have  discovered  someone,  wrote  it 
up;  other  journals  followed  suit  to  be  in  the  movement. 
One  of  them,  I  remember,  which  had  already  dismissed 
it  with  three  or  four  sneering  lines,  came  out  with  a 
second  and  two-column  notice.  It  sold  like  wildfire  and 
I  suppose  had  some  merits,  for  it  is  still  read,  though 
few  know  that  I  wrote  it,  since  fortunately  it  was  pub- 
lished under  a  pseudonym. 

Again  I  was  much  elated  and  set  to  work  to  write 
another  and,  as  I  believe,  a  much  better  book.  But 
jealousies  had  been  excited  by  this  leaping  into  fame  of 
a  totally  unknown  person,  which  were,  moreover,  accen- 
tuated through  a  foolish  article  that  I  published  in 
answer  to  some  criticisms,  wherein  I  spoke  my  mind 
with  an  insane  freedom  and  biting  sarcasm.  Indeed  I 
was  even  mad  enough  to  quote  names  and  to  give  the 
example  of  the  very  powerful  journal  which  at  first 
carped  at  my  work  and  then  gushed  over  it  when  it 
became  the  fashion.  All  of  this  made  me  many  bitter 
enemies,  as  I  found  out  when  my  next  book  appeared. 

It  was  torn  to  shreds,  it  was  reviled  as  subversive  of 
morality  and  religion,  good  arrows  in  those  days.  It 
was  called  puerile,  half-educated  stuff — I  hal f -educated ! 
More,  an  utterly  false  charge  of  plagiarism  was  cooked 
up  against  me  and  so  well  and  venomously  run  that  vast 
numbers  of  people  concluded  that  I  was  a  thief  of  the 


10  When  the  World  Shook 

lowest  order.  Lastly,  my  father,  from  whom  the  secret 
could  no  longer  be  kept,  sternly  disapproved  of  both 
these  books  which  I  admit  were  written  from  a  very 
radical  and  somewhat  anti-church  point  of  view.  The 
result  was  our  first  quarrel  and  before  it  was  made  up, 
he  died  suddenly. 

Now  again  fastidiousness  and  my  lack  of  persever- 
ance did  their  work,  and  solemnly  I  swore  that  I  would 
never  write  another  book,  an  oath  which  I  have  kept  till 
this  moment,  at  least  so  far  as  publication  is  concerned, 
and  now  break  only  because  I  consider  it  my  duty  so  to 
do  and  am  not  animated  by  any  pecuniary  object. 

Thus  came  to  an  end  my  second  attempt  at  carving 
out  a  career.  By  now  I  had  grown  savage  and  cynical, 
rather  revengeful  also,  I  fear.  Knowing  myself  to  pos- 
sess considerable  abilities  in  sundry  directions,  I  sat 
down,  as  it  were,  to  think  things  over  and  digest  my  past 
experiences.  Then  it  was  that  the  truth  of  a  very  ancient 
adage  struck  upon  my  mind,  namely,  that  money  is 
power.  Had  I  sufficient  money  I  could  laugh  at  unjust 
critics  for  example;  indeed  they  or  their  papers  would 
scarcely  dare  to  criticise  me  for  fear  lest  it  should  be  in 
my  power  to  do  them  a  bad  turn.  Again  I  could  follow 
my  own  ideas  in  life  and  perhaps  work  good  in  the 
world,  and  live  in  such  surroundings  as  commended 
themselves  to  me.  It  was  as  clear  as  daylight,  but — 
how  to  make  the  money? 

I  had  some  capital  as  the  result  of  my  father's  death, 
about  £8,000  in  all,  plus  a  little  more  that  my  two  books 
had  brought  in.  In  what  way  could  I  employ  it  to  the 
best  advantage?  I  remembered  that  a  cousin  of  my 
father  and  therefore  my  own,  was  a  successful  stock- 
broker, also  that  there  had  been  some  affection  between 


Arbuthnot  Describes  Himself  if 

them.  I  went  to  him,  he  was  a  good,  easy-natured  man 
who  was  frankly  glad  to  see  me,  and  offered  to  put 
£5,000  into  his  business,  for  I  was  not  minded  to  risk 
everything  I  had,  if  he  would  give  me  a  share  in  the 
profits.  He  laughed  heartily  at  my  audacity. 

"  Why,  my  boy,"  he  said,  "  being  totally  inex- 
perienced at  this  game,  you  might  lose  us  more  than 
that  in  a  month.  But  I  like  your  courage,  I  like  your 
courage,  and  the  truth  is  that  I  do  want  help.  I  will 
think  it  over  and  write  to  you." 

He  thought  it  over  and  in  the  end  offered  to  try  me 
for  a  year  at  a  fixed  salary  with  a  promise  of  some  kind 
of  a  partnership  if  I  suited  him.  Meanwhile  my  £5,000 
remained  in  my  pocket. 

I  accepted,  not  without  reluctance  since  with  the 
impatience  of  youth  I  wanted  everything  at  once.  I 
worked  hard  in  that  office  and  soon  mastered  the 
business,  for  my  knowledge  of  figures — I  had  taken  a 
first-class  mathematical  degree  at  college — came  to  my 
aid,  as  in  a  way  did  my  acquaintance  with  Law  and 
Literature.  Moreover  I  had  a  certain  aptitude  for  what 
is  called  high  finance.  Further,  Fortune,  as  usual, 
showed  me  a  favourable  face. 

In  one  year  I  got  the  partnership  with  a  small  share 
in  the  large  profits  of  the  business.  In  two  the  partner 
above  me  retired,  and  I  took  his  place  with  a  third  share 
of  the  firm.  In  three  my  cousin,  satisfied  that  it  was 
in  able  hands,  began  to  cease  his  attendance  at  the 
office  and  betook  himself  to  gardening  which  was  his 
hobby.  In  four  I  paid  him  out  altogether,  although  to 
do  this  I  had  to  borrow  money  on  our  credit,  for  by 
agreement  the  title  of  the  firm  was  continued.  Then 
came  that  extraordinary  time  of  boom  which  many  will 
remember  to  their  cost.  I  made  a  bold  stroke  and  won. 


12  When  the  World  Shook 

On  a  certain  Saturday  when  the  books  were  made  up,  I 
found  that  after  discharging  all  liabilities,  I  should  not 
be  worth  more  than  £20,000.  On  the  following  Satur- 
day but  two  when  the  books  were  made  up,  I  was  worth 
£153,000!  L'appetit  vient  en  mange  ant.  It  seemed  noth- 
ing to  me  when  so  many  were  worth  millions. 

For  the  next  year  I  worked  as  few  have  done,  and 
when  I  struck  a  balance  at  the  end  of  it,  I  found  that  on 
the  most  conservative  estimate  I  was  the  owner  of  a 
million  and  a  half  in  hard  cash,  or  its  equivalent.  I 
was  so  tired  out  that  I  remember  this  discovery  did  not 
excite  me  at  all.  I  felt  utterly  weary  of  all  wealth- 
hunting  and  of  the  City  and  its  ways.  Moreover  my  old 
fastidiousness  and  lack  of  perseverance  re-asserted  them- 
selves. I  reflected,  rather  late  in  the  day  perhaps,  on 
the  ruin  that  this  speculation  was  bringing  to  thousands, 
of  which  some  lamentable  instances  had  recently  come 
to  my  notice,  and  once  more  considered  whether  it  were 
a  suitable  career  for  an  upright  man.  I  had  wealth; 
why  should  I  not  take  it  and  enjoy  life? 

Also — and  here  my  business  acumen  came  in,  I  was 
sure  that  these  times  could  not  last.  It  is  easy  to  make 
money  on  a  rising  market,  but  when  it  is  falling  the 
matter  is  very  different.  In  five  minutes  I  made  up  my 
mind.  I  sent  for  my  junior  partners,  for  I  had  taken  in 
two,  and  told  them  that  I  intended  to  retire  at  once. 
They  were  dismayed  both  at  my  loss,  for  really  7  was 
the  firm,  and  because,  as  they  pointed  out,  if  I  withdrew 
all  my  capital,  there  would  not  be  sufficient  left  to  enable 
them  to  carry  on. 

One  of  them,  a  blunt  and  honest  man,  said  to  my 
face  that  it  would  be  dishonourable  of  me  to  do  so.  I 
was  inclined  to  answer  him  sharply,  then  remembered 
that  his  words  were  true. 


Arbuthnot  Describes  Himself  13 

"  Very  well,"  I  said,  "  I  will  leave  you  £600,000  on 
which  you  shall  pay  me  five  per  cent,  interest,  but  no 
share  of  the  profits." 

On  these  terms  we  dissolved  the  partnership  and  in 
a  year  they  had  lost  the  £600,000,  for  the  slump  came 
with  a  vengeance.  It  saved  them,  however,  and  to-day 
they  are  earning  a  reasonable  income.  But  I  have  never 
asked  them  for  that  £600,000. 


CHAPTER  II 

BASTIN  AND  BICKLEY 

BEHOLD  me  once  more  a  man  without  an  occupation, 
but  now  the  possessor  of  about  £900,000.  It  was  a  very 
considerable  fortune,  if  not  a  large  one  in  England; 
nothing  like  the  millions  of  which  I  had  dreamed,  but 
still  enough.  To  make  the  most  of  it  and  to  be  sure 
that  it  remained,  I  invested  it  very  well,  mostly  in  large 
mortgages  at  four  per  cent,  which,  if  the  security  is 
good,  do  not  depreciate  in  capital  value.  Never  again 
did  I  touch  a  single  speculative  stock,  who  desired  to 
think  no  more  about  money.  It  was  at  this  time  that  I 
bought  the  Fulcombe  property.  It  cost  me  about 
£120,000  of  my  capital,  or  with  alterations,  repairs, 
etc.,  say  £150,000,  on  which  sum  it  may  pay  a  net  two 
and  a  half  per  cent.,  not  more. 

This  £3,700  odd  I  have  always  devoted  to  the  up- 
keep of  the  place,  which  is  therefore  in  first-rate  order. 
The  rest  I  live  on,  or  save. 

These  arrangements,  with  the  beautifying  and 
furnishing  of  the  house  and  the  restoration  of  the  church 
in  memory  of  my  father,  occupied  and  amused  me  for  a 
year  or  so,  but  when  they  were  finished  time  began  to 
hang  heavy  on  my  hands.  What  was  the  use  of  pos- 
sessing about  £20,000  a  year  when  there  was  nothing 
upon  which  it  could  be  spent?  For  after  all  my  own 
wants  were  few  and  simple  and  the  acquisition  of  valu- 
able pictures  and  costly  furniture  is  limited  by  space. 

Oh!  in  my  small  way  I  was  like  the  weary  King 

14 


Bastin  and  Bbkley  15 

Ecclesiast.  For  I  too  made  me  great  works  and  had 
possessions  of  great  and  small  cattle  (I  tried  farming 
and  lost  money  over  it!)  and  gathered  me  silver  and  gold 
and  the  peculiar  treasure  of  kings,  which  I  presume 
means  whatever  a  man  in  authority  chiefly  desires,  and 
so  forth.  But  "  behold  all  was  vanity  and  vexation  of 
spirit,  and  there  was  no  profit  under  the  sun." 

So,  notwithstanding  my  wealth  and  health  and  the 
deference  which  is  the  rich  man's  portion,  especially 
when  the  limit  of  his  riches  is  not  known,  it  came 
about  that  I  too  "  hated  life,"  and  this  when  I  was  not 
much  over  thirty.  I  did  not  know  what  to  do;  for 
Society  as  the  word  is  generally  understood,  I  had  no 
taste;  it  bored  me;  horse-racing  and  cards  I  loathed, 
who  had  already  gambled  too  much  on  a  big  scale.  The 
killing  of  creatures  under  the  name  of  sport  palled  upon 
me,  indeed  I  began  to  doubt  if  it  were  right,  while  the 
office  of  a  junior  county  magistrate  in  a  place  where 
there  was  no  crime,  only  occupied  me  an  hour  or  two  a 
month. 

Lastly  my  neighbours  were  few  and  with  all  due 
deference  to  them,  extremely  dull.  At  least  I  could  not 
understand  them  because  in  them  there  did  not  seem  to 
be  anything  to  understand,  and  I  am  quite  certain  that 
they  did  not  understand  me.  More,  when  they  came  to 
learn  that  I  was  radical  in  my  views  and  had  written  cer- 
tain "  dreadful "  and  somewhat  socialistic  books  in  the 
form  of  fiction,  they  both  feared  and  mistrusted  me  as  an 
enemy  to  their  particular  section  of  the  race.  As  I  had 
not  married  and  showed  no  inclination  to  do  so,  their 
womenkind  also,  out  of  their  intimate  knowledge,  pro- 
claimed that  I  led  an  immoral  life,  though  a  little  re- 
flection would  have  shown  them  that  there  was  no  one 
in  the  neighbourhood  which  for  a  time  I  seldom  left, 


16  When  foe  World  Shook 

who  could  possibly  have  tempted  an  educated  creature 
to  such  courses. 

Terrible  is  the  lot  of  a  man  who,  while  still  young 
and  possessing  the  intellect  necessary  to  achievement, 
is  deprived  of  all  ambition.  And  I  had  none  at  all.  I 
did  not  even  wish  to  purchase  a  peerage  or  a  baronetcy 
in  this  fashion  or  in  that,  and,  as  in  my  father's  case, 
my  tastes  were  so  many  and  so  catholic  that  I  could  not 
lose  myself  in  any  one  of  them.  They  never  became 
more  than  diversions  to  me.  A  hobby  is  only  really 
amusing  when  it  becomes  an  obsession. 

At  length  my  lonesome  friendliness  oppressed  me  so 
much  that  I  took  steps  to  mitigate  it.  In  my  college 
life  I  had  two  particular  friends  whom  I  think  I  must 
have  selected  because  they  were  so  absolutely  different 
from  myself. 

They  were  named  Bastin  and  Bickley.  Bastin — Basil 
was  his  Christian  name — was  an  uncouth,  shock-headed, 
flat-footed  person  of  large,  rugged  frame  and  equally 
rugged  honesty,  with  a  mind  almost  incredibly  simple. 
Nothing  surprised  him  because  he  lacked  the  faculty  of 
surprise.  He  was  like  that  kind  of  fish  which  lies  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea  and  takes  every  kind  of  food  into  its 
great  maw  without  distinguishing  its  flavour.  Meta- 
phorically speaking,  heavenly  manna  and  decayed  cab- 
bage were  just  the  same  to  Bastin.  He  was  not  fastidi- 
ous and  both  were  mental  pabulum — of  a  sort — together 
with  whatever  lay  between  these  extremes.  Yet  he 
was  good,  so  painfully  good  that  one  felt  that  without 
exertion  to  himself  he  had  booked  a  first-class  ticket 
straight  to  Heaven;  indeed  that  his  guardian  angel 
had  tied  it  round  his  neck  at  birth  lest  he  should  lose 
it,  already  numbered  and  dated  like  an  identification 
disc. 


Bast  in  and  Bickley  17 

I  am  bound  to  add  that  Bastin  never  went  wrong 
because  he  never  felt  the  slightest  temptation  to  do  so. 
This  I  suppose  constitutes  real  virtue,  since,  in  view 
of  certain  Bible  sayings,  the  person  who  is  tempted  and 
would  like  to  yield  to  the  temptation,  is  equally  a  sinner 
with  the  person  who  does  yield.  To  be  truly  good  one 
should  be  too  good  to  be  tempted,  or  too  weak  to  make 
the  effort  worth  the  tempter's  while — in  short  not 
deserving  of  his  powder  and  shot. 

I  need  hardly  add  that  Bastin  went  into  the  Church; 
indeed,  he  could  not  have  gone  anywhere  else;  it 
absorbed  him  naturally,  as  doubtless  Heaven  will  do  in 
due  course.  Only  I  think  it  likely  that  until  they  get  to 
know  him  he  will  bore  the  angels  so  much  that  they 
will  continually  move  him  up  higher.  Also  if  they  have 
any  susceptibilities  left,  probably  he  will  tread  upon 
their  toes — an  art  in  which  I  never  knew  his  equal. 
However,  I  always  loved  Bastin,  perhaps  because  no  one 
else  did,  a  fact  of  which  he  remained  totally  unconscious, 
or  perhaps  because  of  his  brutal  way  of  telling  one  what 
he  conceived  to  be  the  truth,  which,  as  he  had  less 
imagination  than  a  dormouse,  generally  it  was  not.  For 
if  the  truth  is  a  jewel,  it  is  one  coloured  and  veiled  by 
many  different  lights  and  atmospheres. 

It  only  remains  to  add  that  he  was  learned  in  his 
theological  fashion  and  that  among  his  further  peculiari- 
ties were  the  slow,  monotonous  voice  in  which  he 
uttered  his  views  in  long  sentences,  and  his  total  in- 
difference to  adverse  argument  however  sound  and 
convincing. 

My  other  friend,  Bickley,  was  a  person  of  a  quite 
different  character.  Like  Bastin,  he  was  learned,  but  his 
tendencies  faced  another  way.  If  Bastin' s  omnivorous 
throat  could  swallow  a  camel,  especially  a  theological 


18  When  the  World  Shook 

camel,  Bickley 's  would  strain  at  the  smallest  gnat, 
especially  a  theological  gnat.  The  very  best  and  most 
upright  of  men,  yet  he  believed  in  nothing  that  he  could 
not  taste,  see  or  handle.  He  was  convinced,  for  instance, 
that  man  is  a  brute-descended  accident  and  no  more, 
that  what  we  call  the  soul  or  the  mind  is  produced  by 
a  certain  action  of  the  grey  matter  of  the  brain;  that 
everything  apparently  inexplicable  has  a  perfectly  mun- 
dane explanation,  if  only  one  could  find  it;  that  miracles 
certainly  never  did  happen,  and  never  will;  that  all 
religions  are  the  fruit  of  human  hopes  and  fears  and  the 
most  convincing  proof  of  human  weakness;  that  notwith- 
standing our  infinite  variations  we  are  the  subjects  of 
Nature's  single  law  and  the  victims  of  blind,  black  and 
brutal  chance. 

Such  was  Bickley  with  his  clever,  well-cut  face  that 
always  reminded  me  of  a  cameo,  and  thoughtful  brow; 
his  strong,  capable  hands  and  his  rather  steely  mouth, 
the  mere  set  of  which  suggested  controversy  of  an  un- 
compromising kind.  Naturally  as  the  Church  had 
claimed  Bastin,  so  medicine  claimed  Bickley. 

Now  as  it  happened  the  man  who  succeeded  my  father 
as  vicar  of  Fulcombe  was  given  a  better  living  and  went 
away  shortly  after  I  had  purchased  the  place  and  with 
it  the  advowson.  Just  at  this  time  also  I  received  a  letter 
written  in  the  large,  sprawling  hand  of  Bastin  from 
whom  I  had  not  heard  for  years.  It  went  straight  to  the 
point,  saying  that  he,  Bastin,  had  seen  in  a  Church  paper 
that  the  last  incumbent  had  resigned  the  living  of  Ful- 
combe which  was  in  my  gift.  He  would  therefore  be 
obliged  if  I  would  give  it  to  him  as  the  place  he  was  at  in 
Yorkshire  did  not  suit  his  wife's  health. 

Here  I  may  state  that  afterwards  I  learned  that  what 
did  not  suit  Mrs.  Bastin  was  the  organist,  who  was 


Bastin  and  Bickley  19 

pretty.  She  was  by  nature  a  woman  with  a  tempera- 
ment so  insanely  jealous  that  actually  she  managed 
to  be  suspicious  of  Bastin,  whom  she  had  captured  in 
an  unguarded  moment  when  he  was  thinking  of  some- 
thing else  and  who  would  as  soon  have  thought  of 
even  looking  at  any  woman  as  he  would  of  worshipping 
Baal.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  took  him  months  to  know 
one  female  from  another.  Except  as  possible  providers 
of  subscriptions  and  props  of  Mothers'  Meetings,  women 
had  no  interest  for  him. 

To  return — with  that  engaging  honesty  which  I  have 
mentioned — Bastin's  letter  went  on  to  set  out  all  his 
own  disabilities,  which,  he  added,  would  probably  render 
him  unsuitable  for  the  place  he  desired  to  fill.  He  was 
a  High  Churchman,  a  fact  which  would  certainly  offend 
many;  he  had  no  claims  to  being  a  preacher  although 
he  was  extraordinarily  well  acquainted  with  the  writings 
of  the  Early  Fathers.  (What  on  earth  had  that  to  do 
with  the  question,  I  wondered.)  On  the  other  hand  he 
had  generally  been  considered  a  good  visitor  and  was 
fond  of  walking  (he  meant  to  call  on  distant  parish- 
ioners, but  did  not  say  so). 

Then  followed  a  page  and  a  half  on  the  evils  of 
the  existing  system  of  the  presentation  to  livings  by 
private  persons,  ending  with  the  suggestion  that  I  had 
probably  committed  a  sin  in  buying  this  particular 
advowson  in  order  to  increase  my  local  authority,  that 
is,  if  I  had  bought  it,  a  point  on  which  he  was  ignorant. 
Finally  he  informed  me  that  as  he  had  to  christen  a 
sick  baby  five  miles  away  on  a  certain  moor  and  it  was 
too  wet  for  him  to  ride  his  bicycle,  he  must  stop.  And 
he  stopped. 

There  was,  however,  a  P.S.  to  the  letter,  which  ran 
as  follows: 


20  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Someone  told  me  that  you  were  dead  a  few  years 
ago,  and  of  course  it  may  be  another  man  of  the  same 
name  who  owns  Fulcombe.  If  so,  no  doubt  the  Post 
Office  will  send  back  this  letter." 

That  was  his  only  allusion  to  my  humble  self  in  all 
those  diffuse  pages.  It  was  a  long  while  since  I  had 
received  an  epistle  which  made  me  laugh  so  much,  and 
of  course  I  gave  him  the  living  by  return  of  post,  and 
even  informed  him  that  I  would  increase  its  stipend  to 
a  sum  which  I  considered  suitable  to  the  position. 

About  ten  days  later  I  received  another  letter  from 
Bastin  which,  as  a  scrawl  on  the  flap  of  the  envelope 
informed  me,  he  had  carried  for  a  week  in  his  pocket 
and  forgotten  to  post.  Except  by  inference  it  returned 
no  thanks  for  my  intended  benefits.  What  it  did  say, 
however,  was  that  he  thought  it  wrong  of  me  to  have 
settled  a  matter  of  such  spiritual  importance  in  so  great 
a  hurry,  though  he  had  observed  that  rich  men  were 
nearly  always  selfish  where  their  time  was  concerned. 
Moreover,  he  considered  that  I  ought  first  to  have  made 
inquiries  as  to  his  present  character  and  attainments, 
etc.,  etc. 

To  this  epistle  I  replied  by  telegraph  to  the  effect 
that  I  should  as  soon  think  of  making  inquiries  about 
the  character  of  an  archangel,  or  that  of  one  of  his  High 
Church  saints.  This  telegram,  he  told  me  afterwards, 
he  considered  unseemly  and  even  ribald,  especially  as 
it  had  given  great  offence  to  the  postmaster,  who  was 
one  of  the  sidesmen  in  his  church. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  I  appointed  the  Rev.  Basil 
Bastin  to  the  living  of  Fulcombe,  feeling  sure  that  he 
would  provide  me  with  endless  amusement  and  act  as 
a  moral  tonic  and  discipline.  Also  I  appreciated  the 
man's  blunt  candour.  In  due  course  he  arrived,  and  I 


Bastin  and  Bickley  21 

confess  that  after  a  few  Sundays  of  experience  I  began 
to  have  doubts  as  to  the  wisdom  of  my  choice,  glad  as 
I  was  to  see  him  personally.  His  sermons  at  once 
bored  me,  and,  when  they  did  not  send  me  to  sleep, 
excited  in  me  a  desire  for  debate.  How  could  he  be  so 
profoundly  acquainted  with  mysteries  before  which  the 
world  had  stood  amazed  for  ages?  Was  there  nothing 
too  hot  or  too  heavy  in  the  spiritual  way  for  him  to 
dismiss  in  a  few  blundering  and  casual  words,  as  he 
might  any  ordinary  incident  of  every-day  life,  I  won- 
dered? Also  his  idea  of  High  Church  observances  was 
not  mine,  or,  I  imagine,  that  of  anybody  else.  But  I 
will  not  attempt  to  set  it  out. 

His  peculiarities,  however,  were  easy  to  excuse  and 
entirely  swallowed  up  by  the  innate  goodness  of  his 
nature  which  soon  made  him  beloved  of  everyone  in  the 
place,  for  although  he  thought  that  probably  most 
things  were  sins,  I  never  knew  him  to  discover  a  sin 
which  he  considered  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of  forgive- 
ness. Bastin  was  indeed  a  most  charitable  man  and  in 
his  way  wide-minded. 

The  person  whom  I  could  not  tolerate,  however,  was 
his  wife,  who,  to  my  fancy,  more  resembled  a  vessel, 
a  very  unattractive  vessel,  full  of  vinegar  than  a  woman. 
Her  name  was  Sarah  and  she  was  small,  plain,  flat, 
sandy-haired  and  odious,  quite  obsessed,  moreover,  with 
her  jealousies  of  the  Rev.  Basil,  at  whom  it  pleased  her 
to  suppose  that  every  woman  in  the  countryside  under 
fifty  was  throwing  herself. 

Here  I  will  confess  that  to  the  best  of  my  ability 
I  took  care  that  they  did  in  outward  seeming,  that 
is,  whenever  she  was  present,  instructing  them  to 
sit  aside  with  him  in  darkened  corners,  to  present  him 
with  flowers,  and  so  forth.  Several  of  them  easily  fell 


22  When  the  World  Shook 

into  the  humour  of  the  thing,  and  I  have  seen  him 
depart  from  a  dinner-party  followed  by  that  glowering 
Sarah,  with  a  handful  of  rosebuds  and  violets,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  traditional  offerings  of  slippers,  em- 
broidered markers  and  the  like.  Well,  it  was  my  only 
way  of  coming  even  with  her,  which  I  think  she  knew, 
for  she  hated  me  poisonously. 

So  much  for  Basil  Bastin.  Now  for  Bickley.  Him 
I  had  met  on  several  occasions  since  our  college  days, 
and  after  I  was  settled  at  the  Priory  from  time  to  time  I 
asked  him  to  stay  with  me.  At  length  he  came,  and  I 
found  out  that  he  was  not  at  all  comfortable  in  his 
London  practice  which  was  of  a  nature  uncongenial  to 
him;  further,  that  he  did  not  get  on  with  his  partners. 
Then,  after  reflection,  I  made  a  suggestion  to  him.  I 
pointed  out  that,  owing  to  its  popularity  amongst  sea- 
side visitors,  the  neighbourhood  of  Fulcombe  was  a 
rising  one,  and  that  although  there  were  doctors  in  it, 
there  was  no  really  first-class  surgeon  for  miles. 

Now  Bickley  was  a  first-class  surgeon,  having  held 
very  high  hospital  appointments,  and  indeed  still  hold- 
ing them.  Why,  I  asked,  should  he  not  come  and  set 
up  here  on  his  own?  I  would  appoint  him  doctor  to  the 
estate  and  also  give  him  charge  of  a  cottage  hospital 
which  I  was  endowing,  with  liberty  to  build  and  arrange 
it  as  he  liked.  Further,  as  I  considered  that  it  would  be 
of  great  advantage  to  me  to  have  a  man  of  real  ability 
within  reach,  I  would  guarantee  for  three  years  what- 
ever income  he  was  earning  in  London. 

He  thanked  me  warmly  and  in  the  end  acted  on  the 
idea,  with  startling  results  so  far  as  his  prospects  were 
concerned.  Very  soon  his  really  remarkable  skill  be- 
came known  and  he  was  earning  more  money  than 
as  an  unmarried  man  he  could  possibly  want.  Indeed, 


Bastin  and  Bickley  23 

scarcely  a  big  operation  took  place  at  any  town  within 
twenty  miles,  and  even  much  farther  away,  at  which  he 
was  not  called  in  to  assist. 

Needless  to  say  his  advent  was  a  great  boon  to  me, 
for  as  he  lived  in  a  house  I  let  him  quite  near  by,  when- 
ever he  had  a  spare  evening  he  would  drop  in  to  dinner, 
and  from  our  absolutely  opposite  standpoints  we  dis- 
cussed all  things  human  and  divine.  Thus  I  was 
enabled  to  sharpen  my  wits  upon  the  hard  steel  of  his 
clear  intellect  which  was  yet,  in  a  sense,  so  limited. 

I  must  add  that  I  never  converted  him  to  my  way 
of  thinking  and  he  never  converted  me  to  his,  any  more 
than  he  converted  Bastin,  for  whom,  queerly  enough, 
he  had  a  liking.  They  pounded  away  at  each  other, 
Bickley  frequently  getting  the  best  of  it  in  the  argument, 
and  when  at  last  Bastin  rose  to  go,  he  generally  made 
the  same  remark.  It  was : 

"  It  really  is  sad,  my  dear  Bickley,  to  find  a  man  of 
your  intellect  so  utterly  wrongheaded  and  misguided. 
I  have  convicted  you  of  error  at  least  half  a  dozen 
times,  and  not  to  confess  it  is  mere  pigheadedness. 
Good  night.  I  am  sure  that  Sarah  will  be  sitting  up 
for  me." 

"  Silly  old  idiot ! "  Bickley  would  say,  shaking  his 
fist  after  him.  "  The  only  way  to  get  him  to  see 
the  truth  would  be  to  saw  his  head  open  and  pour 
it  in." 

Then  we  would  both  laugh. 

Such  were  my  two  most  intimate  friends,  although 
I  admit  it  was  rather  like  the  equator  cultivating  close 
relationships  with  the  north  and  south  poles.  Certainly 
Bastin  was  as  far  from  Bickley  as  those  points  of  the 
earth  are  apart,  while  I,  as  it  were,  sat  equally  distant 
between  the  two.  However,  we  were  all  very  happy  to- 


24  When  the  World  Shook 

gather,  since  in  certain  characters,  there  are  few  things 
that  bind  men  more  closely  than  profound  differences  of 
opinion. 

Now  I  must  turn  to  my  more  personal  affairs.  After 
all,  it  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  satisfy  his  soul,  if  he 
has  anything  of  the  sort  about  him  which  in  the  remotest 
degree  answers  to  that  description,  with  the  husks  of 
wealth,  luxury  and  indolence,  supplemented  by  occa- 
sional theological  and  other  arguments  between  his 
friends.  Becoming  profoundly  convinced  of  this  truth, 
I  searched  round  for  something  to  do  and,  like  Noah's 
dove  on  the  waste  of  waters,  found  nothing.  Then  I 
asked  Bickley  and  Bastin  for  their  opinions  as  to  my 
best  future  course.  Bickley  proved  a  barren  draw.  He 
rubbed  his  nose  and  feebly  suggested  that  I  might  go 
in  for  "  research  work,"  which,  of  course,  only  repre- 
sented his  own  ambitions.  I  asked  him  indignantly 
how  I  could  do  such  a  thing  without  any  scientific 
qualifications  whatever.  He  admitted  the  difficulty,  but 
replied  that  I  might  endow  others  who  had  the  quali- 
fications. 

"  In  short,  become  a  milch  cow  for  sucking  scien- 
tists," I  replied,  and  broke  off  the  conversation. 

Bastin's  idea  was,  first,  that  I  should  teach  in  a  Sun- 
day School;  secondly,  that  if  this  career  did  not  satisfy 
all  my  aspirations,  I  might  be  ordained  and  become  a 
missionary. 

On  my  rejection  of  this  brilliant  advice,  he  remarked 
that  the  only  other  thing  he  could  think  of  was  that  I 
should  get  married  and  have  a  large  family,  which  might 
possibly  advantage  the  nation  and  ultimately  enrich  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven,  though  of  such  things  no  one 
could  be  quite  sure.  At  any  rate,  he  was  certain  that 


Bastin  and  Bickley  25 

at  present  I  was  in  practice  neglecting  my  duty,  what- 
ever it  might  be,  and  in  fact  one  of  those  cumberers 
of  the  earth  who,  he  observed  in  the  newspaper  he  took 
in  and  read  when  he  had  time,  were  "  very  happily 
named — the  idle  rich." 

"  Which  reminds  me,"  he  added,  "  that  the  clothing- 
club  finances  are  in  a  perfectly  scandalous  condition;  in 
fact,  it  is  £25  in  debt,  an  amount  that  as  the  squire 
of  the  parish  I  consider  it  incumbent  on  you  to  make 
good,  not  as  a  charity  but  as  an  obligation." 

"Look  here,  my  friend,"  I  said,  ignoring  all  the 
rest,  "  will  you  answer  me  a  plain  question  ?  Have 
you  found  marriage  such  a  success  that  you  consider 
it  your  duty  to  recommend  it  to  others?  And  if  you 
have,  why  have  you  not  got  the  large  family  of  which 
you  speak?" 

"  Of  course  not,"  he  replied  with  his  usual  frank- 
ness. "  Indeed,  it  is  in  many  ways  so  disagreeable  that 
I  am  convinced  it  must  be  right  and  for  the  good  of 
all  concerned.  As  regards  the  family  I  am  sure  I  do 
not  know,  but  Sarah  never  liked  babies,  which  perhaps 
has  something  to  do  with  it." 

Then  he  sighed,  adding,  "  You  see,  Arbuthnot,  we 
have  to  take  things  as  we  find  them  in  this  world  and 
hope  for  a  better." 

"  Which  is  just  what  I  am  trying  to  do,  you  un- 
illuminating  old  donkey ! "  I  exclaimed,  and  left  him 
there  shaking  his  head  over  matters  in  general,  but  I 
think  principally  over  Sarah. 

By  the  way,  I  think  that  the  villagers  recognised  this 
good  lady's  vinegary  nature.  At  least,  they  used  to 
call  her  "  Sour  Sal." 


CHAPTER  III 

NATALIE 

Now  what  Bastin  had  said  about  marriage  stuck  in  my 
mind  as  his  blundering  remarks  had  a  way  of  doing, 
perhaps  because  of  the  grain  of  honest  truth  with  which 
they  were  often  permeated.  Probably  in  my  position  it 
was  more  or  less  my  duty  to  marry.  But  here  came  the 
rub;  I  had  never  experienced  any  leanings  that  way. 
I  was  as  much  a  man  as  others,  more  so  than  many  are, 
perhaps,  and  I  liked  women,  but  at  the  same  time  they 
repelled  me. 

My  old  fastidiousness  came  in;  to  my  taste  there  was 
always  something  wrong  about  them.  While  they  at- 
tracted one  part  of  my  nature  they  revolted  another 
part,  and  on  the  whole  I  preferred  to  do  without  their 
intimate  society,  rather  than  work  violence  to  this  second 
and  higher  part  of  me.  Moreover,  quite  at  the  begin- 
ning of  my  career  I  had  concluded  from  observation  that 
a  man  gets  on  better  in  life  alone,  rather  than  with 
another  to  drag  at  his  side,  or  by  whom  perhaps  he  must 
be  dragged.  Still  true  marriage,  such  as  most  men  and 
some  women  have  dreamed  of  in  their  youth,  had  always 
been  one  of  my  ideals ;  indeed  it  was  on  and  around  this 
vision  that  I  wrote  that  first  book  of  mine  which  was  so 
successful.  Since  I  knew  this  to  be  unattainable  in  our 
imperfect  conditions,  however,  notwithstanding  Bastin's 
strictures,  again  I  dismissed  the  whole  matter  from  my 
mind  as  a  vain  imagination. 

26 


Natalie  27 

As  an  alternative  I  reflected  upon  a  parliamentary 
career  which  I  was  not  too  old  to  begin,  and  even  toyed 
with  one  or  two  opportunities  that  offered  themselves, 
as  these  do  to  men  of  wealth  and  advanced  views.  They 
never  came  to  anything,  for  in  the  end  I  decided  that 
Party  politics  were  so  hateful  and  so  dishonest,  that  I 
could  not  bring  myself  to  put  my  neck  beneath  their 
yoke.  I  was  sure  that  if  I  tried  to  do  so,  I  should  fail 
more  completely  than  I  had  done  at  the  Bar  and  in 
Literature.  Here,  too,  I  am  quite  certain  that  I  was 
right. 

The  upshot  of  it  all  was  that  I  sought  refuge  in  that 
last  expedient  of  weary  Englishmen,  travel,  not  as  a 
globe-trotter,  but  leisurely  and  with  an  inquiring  mind, 
learning  much  but  again  finding,  like  the  ancient  writer 
whom  I  have  quoted  already,  that  there  is  no  new  thing 
under  the  sun;  that  with  certain  variations  it  is  the  same 
thing  over  and  over  again. 

No,  I  will  make  an  exception,  the  East  did  interest 
me  enormously.  There  it  was,  at  Benares,  that  I  came 
into  touch  with  certain  thinkers  who  opened  my  eyes 
to  a  great  deal.  They  released  some  hidden  spring  in 
my  nature  which  hitherto  had  always  been  striving  to 
break  through  the  crust  of  our  conventions  and  in- 
herited ideas.  I  know  now  that  what  I  was  seeking 
was  nothing  less  than  the  Infinite;  that  I  had  "im- 
mortal longings  in  me."  I  listened  to  all  their  solemn 
talk  of  epochs  and  years  measureless  to  man,  and  re- 
flected with  a  thrill  that  after  all  man  might  have  his 
part  in  every  one  of  them.  Yes,  that  bird  of  passage 
as  he  seemed  to  be.  flying  out  of  darkness  into  dark- 
ness, still  he  might  have  spread  his  wings  in  the  light 
of  other  suns  millions  upon  millions  of  years  ago,  and 
might  still  spread  them,  grown  radiant  and  glorious, 


28  When  the  World  Shook 

millions  upon  millions  of  years  hence  in  a  time  un- 
born. 

If  only  I  could  know  the  truth.  Was  Life  (accord- 
ing to  Bickley)  merely  a  short  activity  bounded  by 
nothingness  before  and  behind;  or  (according  to  Bas- 
tin)  a  conventional  golden-harped  and  haloed  immor- 
tality, a  word  of  which  he  did  not  in  the  least  understand 
the  meaning? 

Or  was  it  something  quite  different  from  either  of 
these,  something  vast  and  splendid  beyond  the  reach  of 
vision,  something  God-sent,  beginning  and  ending  in  the 
Eternal  Absolute  and  at  last  partaking  of  His  attributes 
and  nature  and  from  aeon  to  aeon  shot  through  with 
His  light?  And  how  was  the  truth  to  be  learned?  I 
asked  my  Eastern  friends,  and  they  talked  vaguely  of 
long  ascetic  preparation,  of  years  upon  years  of  learn- 
ing, from  whom  I  could  not  quite  discover.  I  was  sure 
it  could  not  be  from  them,  because  clearly  they  did  not 
know;  they  only  passed  on  what  they  had  heard  else- 
where, when  or  how  they  either  could  not  or  would 
not  explain.  So  at  length  I  gave  it  up,  having  satisfied 
myself  that  all  this  was  but  an  effort  of  Oriental  im- 
agination called  into  life  by  the  sweet  influences  of  the 
Eastern  stars. 

I  gave  it  up  and  went  away,  thinking  that  I  should 
forget.  But  I  did  not  forget.  I  was  quick  with  a  new 
hope,  or  at  any  rate  with  a  new  aspiration,  and  that 
secret  child  of  holy  desire  grew  and  grew  within  my 
soul,  till  at  length  it  flashed  upon  me  that  this  soul 
of  mine  was  itself  the  hidden  Master  from  which 
I  must  learn  my  lesson.  No  wonder  that  those 
Eastern  friends  could  not  give  his  name,  seeing  that 
whatever  they  really  knew,  as  distinguished  from  what 
they  had  heard,  and  it  was  little  enough,  each  of 


Natalie  29 

them  had  learned  from  the  teaching  of  his  own 
soul. 

Thus,  then,  I  too  became  a  dreamer  with  only 
one  longing,  the  longing  for  wisdom,  for  that  spirit 
touch  which  should  open  my  eyes  and  enable  me 
to  see. 

Yet  now  it  happened  strangely  enough  that  when  I 
seemed  within  myself  to  have  little  further  interest  in 
the  things  of  the  world,  and  least  of  all  in  women,  I, 
who  had  taken  another  guest  to  dwell  with  me,  those 
things  of  the  world  came  back  to  me  and  in  the  shape  of 
Woman  the  Inevitable.  Probably  it  was  so  decreed 
since  is  it  not  written  that  no  man  can  live  to  himself 
alone,  or  lose  himself  in  watching  and  nurturing  the 
growth  of  his  own  soul? 

It  happened  thus.  I  went  to  Rome  on  my  way  home 
from  India,  and  stayed  there  a  while.  On  the  day  after 
my  arrival  I  wrote  my  name  in  the  book  of  our  Minis- 
ter to  Italy  at  that  time,  Sir  Alfred  Upton,  not  because 
I  wished  him  to  ask  me  to  dinner,  but  for  the  reason 
that  I  had  heard  of  him  as  a  man  of  archaeological  tastes 
and  thought  that  he  might  enable  me  to  see  things  which 
otherwise  I  should  not  see. 

As  it  chanced  he  knew  about  me  through  some  of 
my  Devonshire  neighbours  who  were  friends  of  his, 
and  did  ask  me  to  dinner  on  the  following  night.  I 
accepted  and  found  myself  one  of  a  considerable  party, 
some  of  them  distinguished  English  people  who  wore 
Orders,  as  is  customary  when  one  dines  with  the  repre- 
sentative of  our  Sovereign.  Seeing  these,  and  this  shows 
that  in  the  best  of  us  vanity  is  only  latent,  for  the  first 
time  in  my  life  I  was  sorry  that  I  had  none  and  was 
only  plain  Mr.  Arbuthnot  who,  as  Sir  Alfred  explained 


30  When  the  World  Shook 

to  me  politely,  must  go  in  to  dinner  last,  because  all 
the  rest  had  titles,  and  without  even  a  lady  as  there  was 
not  one  to  spare. 

Nor  was  my  lot  bettered  when  I  got  there,  as  I  found 
myself  seated  between  an  Italian  countess  and  a  Rus- 
sian prince,  neither  of  whom  could  talk  English,  while, 
alas,  I  knew  no  foreign  language,  not  even  French  in 
which  they  addressed  me,  seeming  surprised  that  I  did 
not  understand  them.  I  was  humiliated  at  my  own 
ignorance,  although  in  fact  I  was  not  ignorant,  only 
my  education  had  been  classical.  Indeed  I  was  a  good 
classic  and  had  kept  up  my  knowledge  more  or  less, 
especially  since  I  became  an  idle  man.  In  my  confusion 
it  occurred  to  me  that  the  Italian  countess  might  know 
Latin  from  which  her  own  language  was  derived,  and 
addressed  her  in  that  tongue.  She  stared,  and  Sir  Al- 
fred, who  was  not  far  off  and  overheard  me  (he  also 
knew  Latin),  burst  into  laughter  and  proceeded  to  ex- 
plain the  joke  in  a  loud  voice,  first  in  French  and  then 
in  English,  to  the  assembled  company,  who  all  became 
infected  with  merriment  and  also  stared  at  me  as  a 
curiosity. 

Then  it  was  that  for  the  first  time  I  saw  Natalie,  for 
owing  to  a  mistake  of  my  driver  I  had  arrived  rather 
late  and  had  not  been  introduced  to  her.  As  her  father's 
only  daughter,  her  mother  being  dead,  she  was  seated 
at  the  end  of  the  table  behind  a  fan-like  arrangement 
of  white  Madonna  lilies,  and  she  had  bent  forward  and, 
like  the  others,  was  looking  at  me,  but  in  such  a  fashion 
that  her  head  from  that  distance  seemed  as  though  it 
were  surrounded  and  crowned  with  lilies.  Indeed  the 
greatest  art  could  not  have  produced  a  more  beautiful 
effect  which  was,  however,  really  one  of  naked  accident. 

An  angel  looking  down  upon  earth  through  the  lilies 


Natalie  31 

of  Heaven — that  was  the  rather  absurd  thought  which 
flashed  into  my  mind.  I  did  not  quite  realise  her  face 
at  first  except  that  it  seemed  to  be  both  dark  and  fair; 
as  a  fact  her  waving  hair  which  grew  rather  low  upon 
her  forehead,  was  dark,  and  her  large,  soft  eyes  were 
grey.  I  did  not  know,  and  to  this  moment  I  do  not 
know  if  she  was  really  beautiful,  but  certainly  the  light 
that  shone  through  those  eyes  of  hers  and  seemed  to  be 
reflected  upon  her  delicate  features,  was  beauty  itself. 
It  was  like  that  glowing  through  a  thin  vase  of  the 
purest  alabaster  within  which  a  lamp  is  placed,  and  I 
felt  this  effect  to  arise  from  no  chance,  like  that  of  the 
lily-setting,  but,  as  it  were,  from  the  lamp  of  the  spirit 
within. 

Our  eyes  met,  and  I  suppose  that  she  saw  the  won- 
der and  admiration  in  mine.  At  any  rate  her  amused 
smile  faded,  leaving  the  face  rather  serious,  though  still 
sweetly  serious,  and  a  tinge  of  colour  crept  over  it  as 
the  first  hue  of  dawn  creeps  into  a  pearly  sky.  Then 
she  withdrew  herself  behind  the  screen  of  lilies  and 
for  the  rest  of  that  dinner  which  I  thought  was  never 
coming  to  an  end,  practically  I  saw  her  no  more.  Only 
I  noted  as  she  passed  out  that  although  not  tall,  she  was 
rounded  and  graceful  in  shape  and  that  her  hands  were 
peculiarly  delicate. 

Afterwards  in  the  drawing-room  her  father,  with 
whom  I  had  talked  at  the  table,  introduced  me  to  her, 
saying : 

"  My  daughter  is  the  real  archaeologist,  Mr.  Arbuth- 
not,  and  I  think  if  you  ask  her,  she  may  be  able  to 
help  you." 

Then  he  bustled  away  to  speak  to  some  of  his  im- 
portant guests,  from  whom  I  think  he  was  seeking  politi- 
cal information. 


32  When  the  World  Shook 

"  My  father  exaggerates,"  she  said  in  a  soft  and  very 
sympathetic  voice,  "  but  perhaps  " — and  she  motioned 
me  to  a  seat  at  her  side. 

Then  we  talked  of  the  places  and  things  that  I  more 
particularly  desired  to  see  and,  well,  the  end  of  it  was 
that  I  went  back  to  my  hotel  in  love  with  Natalie,  and 
as  she  afterwards  confessed,  she  went  to  bed  in  love 
with  me. 

It  was  a  curious  business,  more  like  meeting  a  very 
old  friend  from  whom  one  had  been  separated  by  cir- 
cumstances for  a  score  of  years  or  so  than  anything 
else.  We  were,  so  to  speak,  intimate  from  the  first; 
we  knew  all  about  each  other,  although  here  and  there 
was  something  new,  something  different  which  we  could 
not  remember,  lines  of  thought,  veins  of  memory  which 
we  did  not  possess  in  common.  On  one  point  I  am 
absolutely  clear:  it  was  not  solely  the  everyday  and 
ancient  appeal  of  woman  to  man  and  man  to  woman 
which  drew  us  together,  though  doubtless  this  had  its 
part  in  our  attachment  as  under  our  human  conditions 
it  must  do,  seeing  that  it  is  Nature's  bait  to  ensure  the 
continuance  of  the  race.  It  was  something  more,  some- 
thing quite  beyond  that  elementary  impulse. 

At  any  rate  we  loved,  and  one  evening  in  the  shelter 
of  the  solemn  walls  of  the  great  Coliseum  at  Rome, 
which  at  that  hour  were  shut  to  all  except  ourselves, 
we  confessed  our  love.  I  really  think  we  must  have 
chosen  the  spot  by  tacit  but  mutual  consent  because  we 
felt  it  to  be  fitting.  It  was  so  old,  so  impregnated  with 
every  human  experience,  from  the  direst  crime  of  the 
tyrant  who  thought  himself  a  god,  to  the  sublimest  sacri- 
fice of  the  martyr  who  already  was  half  a  god;  with 
every  vice  and  virtue  also  which  lies  between  these  ex- 
tremes, that  it  seemed  to  be  the  most  fitting  altar  where- 


Natalie  33 

on  to  offer  our  hearts  and  all  that  caused  them  to  beat, 
each  to  the  other. 

So  Natalie  and  I  were  betrothed  within  a  month  of 
our  first  meeting.  Within  three  we  were  married,  for 
what  was  there  to  prevent  or  delay?  Naturally  Sir 
Alfred  was  delighted,  seeing  that  he  possessed  but  small 
private  resources  and  I  was  able  to  make  ample  provi- 
sion for  his  daughter  who  had  hitherto  shown  herself 
somewhat  difficult  in  this  business  of  matrimony  and 
now  was  bordering  on  her  twenty-seventh  year.  Every- 
body was  delighted,  everything  went  smoothly  as  a 
sledge  sliding  down  a  slope  of  frozen  snow  and  the 
mists  of  time  hid  whatever  might  be  at  the  end  of  that 
slope.  Probably  a  plain;  at  the  worst  the  upward  rise 
of  ordinary  life. 

That  is  what  we  thought,  if  we  thought  at  all.  Cer- 
tainly we  never  dreamed  of  a  precipice.  Why  should 
we,  who  were  young,  by  comparison,  quite  healthy  and 
very  rich?  Who  thinks  of  precipices  under  such  circum- 
stances, when  disaster  seems  to  be  eliminated  and  death 
is  yet  a  long  way  off? 

And  yet  we  ought  to  have  done  so,  because  we  should 
have  known  that  smooth  surfaces  without  impediment 
to  the  runners  often  end  in  something  of  the  kind. 

I  am  bound  to  say  that  when  we  returned  home  to 
Fulcombe,  where  of  course  we  met  with  a  great  recep- 
tion, including  the  ringing  (out  of  tune)  of  the  new  peal 
of  bells  that  I  had  given  to  the  church,  Bastin  made 
haste  to  point  this  out. 

"Your  wife  seems  a  very  nice  and  beautiful  lady, 
Arbuthnot,"  he  reflected  aloud  after  dinner,  when  Mrs. 
Bastin,  glowering  as  usual,  though  what  at  I  do  not 
know,  had  been  escorted  from  the  room  by  Natalie, 
"  and  really,  when  I  come  to  think  of  it,  you  are  an 


34  When  the  World  Shook 

unusually  fortunate  person.  You  possess  a  great  deal 
of  money,  much  more  than  you  have  any  right  to,  which 
you  seem  to  have  done  very  little  to  earn  and  do  not 
spend  quite  as  I  should  like  you  to  do,  and  this  nice 
property,  that  ought  to  be  owned  by  a  great  number  of 
people,  as,  according  to  the  views  you  express,  I  should 
have  thought  you  would  acknowledge,  and  everything 
else  that  a  man  can  want.  It  is  very  strange  that  you 
should  be  so  favoured  and  not  because  of  any  particular 
merits  of  your  own  which  one  can  see.  However,  I 
have  no  doubt  it  will  all  come  even  in  the  end  and  you 
will  get  your  share  of  troubles,  like  others.  Perhaps 
Mrs.  Arbuthnot  will  have  no  children  as  there  is  so 
much  for  them  to  take.  Or  perhaps  you  will  lose  all 
your  money  and  have  to  work  for  your  living,  which 
might  be  good  for  you.  Or,"  he  added,  still  thinking 
aloud  after  his  fashion,  "  perhaps  she  will  die  young — 
she  has  that  kind  of  face,  although,  of  course,  I  hope 
she  won't,"  he  added,  waking  up. 

I  do  not  know  why,  but  his  wandering  words  struck 
me  cold;  the  proverbial  funeral  bell  at  the  marriage 
feast  was  nothing  to  them.  I  suppose  it  was  because 
in  a  flash  of  intuition  I  knew  that  they  would  come  true 
and  that  he  was  an  appointed  Cassandra.  Perhaps  this 
uncanny  knowledge  overcame  my  natural  indignation 
at  such  super-gaucherie  of  which  no  one  but  Bastin 
could  have  been  capable,  and  even  prevented  me  from 
replying  at  all,  so  that  I  merely  sat  still  and  looked 
at  him. 

But  Bickley  did  reply  with  some  vigour. 

"  Forgive  me  for  saying  so,  Bastin,"  he  said,  bristling 
all  over  as  it  were,  "but  your  remarks,  which  may  or 
may  not  be  in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  your 
religion,  seem  to  me  to  be  in  singularly  bad  taste.  They 


Natalie  35 

would  have  turned  the  stomachs  of  a  gathering  of  early 
Christians,  who  appear  to  have  been  the  worst  man- 
nered people  in  the  world,  and  at  any  decent  heathen 
feast  your  neck  would  have  been  wrung  as  that  of  a  bird 
of  ill  omen." 

"Why?"  asked  Bastin  blankly.  "I  only  said  what 
I  thought  to  be  the  truth.  The  truth  is  better  than  what 
you  call  good  taste." 

"  Then  I  will  say  what  I  think  also  to  be  the  truth," 
replied  Bickley,  growing  furious.  "  It  is  that  you  use 
your  Christianity  as  a  cloak  for  bad  manners.  It  teaches 
consideration  and  sympathy  for  others  of  which  you 
seem  to  have  none.  Moreover,  since  you  talk  of  the 
death  of  people's  wives,  I  will  tell  you  something  about 
your  own,  as  a  doctor,  which  I  can  do  as  I  never  at- 
tended her.  It  is  highly  probable,  in  my  opinion,  that 
she  will  die  before  Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  who  is  quite  a  healthy 
person  with  a  good  prospect  of  life." 

"Perhaps,"  said  Bastin.  "If  so,  it  will  be  God's 
will  and  I  shall  not  complain"  (here  Bickley  snorted), 
"  though  I  do  not  see  what  you  can  know  about  it. 
But  why  should  you  cast  reflections  on  the  early  Chris- 
tians who  were  people  of  strong  principle  living  in 
rough  times,  and  had  to  wage  war  against  an  estab- 
lished devil-worship?  I  know  you  are  angry  because 
they  smashed  up  the  statues  of  Venus  and  so  forth,  but 
had  I  been  in  their  place  I  should  have  done  the 
same." 

"  Of  course  you  would,  who  doubts  it  ?  But  as  for 
the  early  Christians  and  their  iconoclastic  performances 
— well,  curse  them,  that's  all ! "  and  he  sprang  up  and 
left  the  room. 

I  followed  him. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed   from  the  above  scene  that 


36  When  the  World  Shook 

there  was  any  ill-feeling  between  Bastin  and  Bickley. 
On  the  contrary  they  were  much  attached  to  each  other, 
and  this  kind  of  quarrel  meant  no  more  than  the  strong 
expression  of  their  individual  views  to  which  they  were 
accustomed  from  their  college  days.  For  instance  Bas- 
tin was  always  talking  about  the  early  Christians  and 
missionaries,  while  Bickley  loathed  both,  the  early  Chris- 
tians because  of  the  destruction  which  they  had  wrought 
in  Egypt,  Italy,  Greece  and  elsewhere,  of  all  that  was 
beautiful;  and  the  missionaries  because,  as  he  said,  they 
were  degrading  and  spoiling  the  native  races  and  by 
inducing  them  to  wear  clothes,  rendering  them  liable 
to  disease.  Bastin  would  answer  that  their  souls  were 
more  important  than  their  bodies,  to  which  Bickley  re- 
plied that  as  there  was  no  such  thing  as  a  soul  except 
in  the  stupid  imagination  of  priests,  he  differed  entirely 
on  the  point.  As  it  was  quite  impossible  for  either  to 
convince  the  other,  there  the  conversation  would  end,  or 
drift  into  something  in  which  they  were  mutually  inter- 
ested, such  as  natural  history  and  the  hygiene  of  the 
neighbourhood. 

Here  I  may  state  that  Bickley 's  keen  professional  eye 
was  not  mistaken  when  he  diagnosed  Mrs.  Bastin's  state 
of  health  as  dangerous.  As  a  matter  of  fact  she  was 
suffering  from  heart  disease  that  a  doctor  can  often 
recognise  by  the  colour  of  the  lips,  etc.,  which  brought 
about  her  death  under  the  following  circumstances: 

Her  husband  attended  some  ecclesiastical  function  at 
a  town  over  twenty  miles  away  and  was  to  have  returned 
by  a  train  which  would  have  brought  him  home  about 
five  o'clock.  As  he  did  not  arrive  she  waited  at  the 
station  for  him  until  the  last  train  came  in  about  seven 
o'clock — without  the  beloved  Basil.  Then,  on  a  winter's 
night  she  tore  up  to  the  Priory  and  begged  me  to  lend 


Natalie  37 

her  a  dog-cart  in  which  to  drive  to  the  said  town  to  look 
for  him.  I  expostulated  against  the  folly  of  such  a 
proceeding,  saying  that  no  doubt  Basil  was  safe  enough 
but  had  forgotten  to  telegraph,  or  thought  that  he  would 
save  the  sixpence  which  the  wire  cost. 

Then  it  came  out,  to  Natalie's  and  my  intense  amuse- 
ment, that  all  this  was  the  result  of  her  jealous  nature  of 
which  I  have  spoken.  She  said  she  had  never  slept  a 
night  away  from  her  husband  since  they  were  married 
and  with  so  many  "  designing  persons  "  about  she  could 
not  say  what  might  happen  if  she  did  so,  especially  as 
he  was  "such  a  favourite  and  so  handsome."  (Bastin 
was  a  fine  looking  man  in  his  rugged  way.) 

I  suggested  that  she  might  have  a  little  confidence 
in  him,  to  which  she  replied  darkly  that  she  had  no 
confidence  in  anybody. 

The  end  of  it  was  that  I  lent  her  the  cart  with  a  fast 
horse  and  a  good  driver,  and  off  she  went.  Reaching 
the  town  in  question  some  two  and  a  half  hours  later, 
she  searched  high  and  low  through  wind  and  sleet,  but 
found  no  Basil.  He,  it  appeared,  had  gone  on  to  Exeter, 
to  look  at  the  cathedral  where  some  building  was  being 
done,  and  missing  the  last  train  had  there  slept  the 
night. 

About  one  in  the  morning,  after  being  nearly  locked 
up  as  a  mad  woman,  she  drove  back  to  the  Vicarage, 
again  to  find  no  Basil.  Even  then  she  did  not  go  to  bed 
but  raged  about  the  house  in  her  wet  clothes,  until  she 
fell  down  utterly  exhausted.  When  her  husband  did 
return  on  the  following  morning,  full  of  information 
about  the  cathedral,  she  was  dangerously  ill,  and  actually 
passed  away  while  uttering  a  violent  tirade  against  him 
for  his  supposed  suspicious  proceedings. 

That  was  the  end  of  this  truly  odious  British  matron. 


38  When  the  World  Shook 

In  after  days  Bastin,  by  some  peculiar  mental  pro- 
cess, canonised  her  in  his  imagination  as  a  kind  of 
saint.  "  So  loving,"  he  would  say,  "  such  a  devoted 
wife!  Why,  my  dear  Humphrey,  I  can  assure  you  that 
even  in  the  midst  of  her  death-struggle  her  last  thoughts 
were  of  me,"  words  that  caused  Bickley  to  snort  with 
more  than  usual  vigour,  until  I  kicked  him  to  silence 
beneath  the  table. 


CHAPTER  IV 

DEATH  AND  DEPARTURE 

Now  I  must  tell  of  my  own  terrible  sorrow,  which 
turned  my  life  to  bitterness  and  my  hopes  to  ashes. 

Never  were  a  man  and  a  woman  happier  together 
than  I  and  Natalie.  Mentally,  physically,  spiritually  we 
were  perfectly  mated,  and  we  loved  each  other  dearly. 
Truly  we  were  as  one.  Yet  there  was  something  about 
her  which  filled  me  with  vague  fears,  especially  after 
she  found  that  she  was  to  become  a  mother.  I  would 
talk  to  her  of  the  child,  but  she  would  sigh  and  shake 
her  head,  her  eyes  filling  with  tears,  and  say  that  we 
must  not  count  on  the  continuance  of  such  happiness 
as  ours,  for  it  was  too  great. 

I  tried  to  laugh  away  her  doubts,  though  whenever  I 
did  so  I  seemed  to  hear  Bastin's  slow  voice  remarking 
casually  that  she  might  die,  as  he  might  have  commented 
on  the  quality  of  the  claret.  At  last,  however,  I  grew 
terrified  and  asked  her  bluntly  what  she  meant. 

"  I  don't  quite  know,  dearest,"  she  replied,  "  espe- 
cially as  I  am  wonderfully  well.  But — but " 

"But  what?"  I  asked. 

"  But  I  think  that  our  companionship  is  going  to  be 
broken  for  a  little  while." 

"  For  a  little  while !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,  Humphrey.  I  think  that  I  shall  be  taken  away 
from  you — you  know  what  I  mean,"  and  she  nodded 
towards  the  churchyard. 

"  Oh,  my  God !  "  I  groaned. 

39 


40  When  the  World  Shook 

"  I  want  to  say  this,"  she  added  quickly,  "  that  if 
such  a  thing  should  happen,  as  it  happens  every  day,  I 
implore  you,  dearest  Humphrey,  not  to  be  too  much 
distressed,  since  I  am  sure  that  you  will  find  me  again. 
No,  I  can't  explain  how  or  when  or  where,  because  I 
do  not  know.  I  have  prayed  for  light,  but  it  has  not 
come  to  me.  All  I  know  is  that  I  am  not  talking  of  re- 
union in  Mr.  Bastin's  kind  of  conventional  heaven,  which 
he  speaks  about  as  though  to  reach  it  one  stumbled 
through  darkness  for  a  minute  into  a  fine  new  house 
next  door,  where  excellent  servants  had  made  everything 
ready  for  your  arrival  and  all  the  lights  were  turned 
up.  It  is  something  quite  different  from  that  and  very 
much  more  real." 

Then  she  bent  down  ostensibly  to  pat  the  head  of  a 
little  black  cocker  spaniel  called  Tommy  which  had  been 
given  to  her  as  a  puppy,  a  highly  intelligent  and  affec- 
tionate animal  that  we  both  adored  and  that  loved  her 
as  only  a  dog  can  love.  Really,  I  knew,  it  was  to  hide  her 
tears,  and  fled  from  the  room  lest  she  should  see  mine. 

As  I  went  I  heard  the  dog  whimpering  in  a  peculiar 
way,  as  though  some  sympathetic  knowledge  had  been 
communicated  to  its  wonderful  animal  intelligence. 

That  night  I  spoke  to  Bickley  about  the  matter,  re- 
peating exactly  what  had  passed.  As  I  expected,  he 
smiled  in  his  grave,  rather  sarcastic  way,  and  made 
light  of  it. 

"  My  dear  Humphrey,"  he  said,  "  don't  torment  your- 
self about  such  fancies.  They  are  of  everyday  occur- 
rence among  women  in  your  wife's  condition.  Some- 
times they  take  one  form,  sometimes  another.  When 
she  has  got  her  baby  you  will  hear  no  more  of  them." 

I  tried  to  be  comforted  but  in  vain. 

The  days  and  weeks  went  by  like  a  long  nightmare 


Death  and  Departure  41 

and  in  due  course  the  event  happened.  Bickley  was  not 
attending  the  case;  it  was  not  in  his  line,  he  said,  and 
he  preferred  that  where  a  friend's  wife  was  concerned, 
somebody  else  should  be  called  in.  So  it  was  put  in 
charge  of  a  very  good  local  man  with  a  large  experience 
in  such  domestic  matters. 

How  am  I  to  tell  of  it?  Everything  went  wrong;  as 
for  the  details,  let  them  be.  Ultimately  Bickley  did 
operate,  and  if  surpassing  skill  could  have  saved  her, 
it  would  have  been  done.  But  the  other  man  had  mis- 
judged the  conditions;  it  was  too  late,  nothing  could 
help  either  mother  or  child,  a  little  girl  who  died  shortly 
after  she  was  born  but  not  before  she  had  been  chris- 
tened, also  by  the  name  of  Natalie. 

I  was  called  in  to  say  farewell  to  my  wife  and  found 
her  radiant,  triumphant  even  in  her  weakness. 

"  I  know  now,"  she  whispered  in  a  faint  voice.  "  I 
understood  as  the  chloroform  passed  away,  but  I  cannot 
tell  you.  Everything  is  quite  well,  my  darling.  Go 
where  you  seem  called  to  go,  far  away.  Oh!  the  won- 
derful place  in  which  you  will  find  me,  not  knowing  that 
you  have  found  me.  Good-bye  for  a  little  while;  only 
for  a  little  while,  my  own,  my  own!" 

Then  she  died.  And  for  a  time  I  too  seemed  to  die, 
but  could  not.  I  buried  her  and  the  child  here  at  Ful- 
combe;  or  rather  I  buried  their  ashes  since  I  could  not 
endure  that  her  beloved  body  should  see  corruption. 

Afterwards,  when  all  was  over,  I  spoke  of  these  last 
words  of  Natalie's  with  both  Bickley  and  Bastin,  for 
somehow  I  seemed  to  wish  to  learn  their  separate  views. 

The  latter  I  may  explain,  had  been  present  at  the  end 
in  his  spiritual  capacity,  but  I  do  not  think  that  he  in 
the  least  understood  the  nature  of  the  drama  which  was 


42  When  the  World  Shook 

passing  before  his  eyes.  His  prayers  and  the  christen- 
ing absorbed  all  his  attention,  and  he  never  was  a  man 
who  could  think  of  more  than  one  thing  at  a  time. 

When  I  told  him  exactly  what  had  happened  and  re- 
peated the  words  that  Natalie  spoke,  he  was  much  in- 
terested in  his  own  nebulous  way,  and  said  that  it  was 
delightful  to  meet  with  an  example  of  a  good  Christian, 
such  as  my  wife  had  been,  who  actually  saw  some- 
thing of  Heaven  before  she  had  gone  there.  His  own 
faith  was,  he  thanked  God,  fairly  robust,  but  still  an 
undoubted  occurrence  of  the  sort  acted  as  a  refresh- 
ment, "  like  rain  on  a  pasture  when  it  is  rather  dry, 
you  know,"  he  added,  breaking  into  simile. 

I  remarked  that  she  had  not  seemed  to  speak  in  the 
sense  he  indicated,  but  appeared  to  allude  to  something 
quite  near  at  hand  and  more  or  less  immediate. 

"  I  don't  know  that  there  is  anything  nearer  at  hand 
than  the  Hereafter,"  he  answered.  "  I  expect  she  meant 
that  you  will  probably  soon  die  and  join  her  in  Paradise, 
if  you  are  worthy  to  do  so.  But  of  course  it  is  not  wise 
to  put  too  much  reliance  upon  words  spoken  by  people 
at  the  last,  because  often  they  don't  quite  know  what 
they  are  saying.  Indeed  sometimes  I  think  this  was  so 
in  the  case  of  my  own  wife,  who  really  seemed  to  me 
to  talk  a  good  deal  of  rubbish.  Good-bye,  I  promised 
to  see  Widow  Jenkins  this  afternoon  about  having  her 
varicose  veins  cut  out,  and  I  mustn't  stop  here  wasting 
time  in  pleasant  conversation.  She  thinks  just  as  much 
of  her  varicose  veins  as  we  do  of  the  loss  of  our  wives." 

I  wonder  what  Bastin's  ideas  of  unpleasant  conver- 
sation may  be,  thought  I  to  myself,  as  I  watched  him 
depart  already  wool-gathering  on  some  other  subject, 
probably  the  heresy  of  one  of  those  "  early  fathers  " 
who  occupied  most  of  his  thoughts. 


Death  and  Departure  43 

Bickley  listened  to  my  tale  in  sympathetic  silence,  as 
a  doctor  does  to  a  patient.  When  he  was  obliged  to 
speak,  he  said  that  it  was  interesting  as  an  example 
of  a  tendency  of  certain  minds  towards  romantic  vision 
which  sometimes  asserts  itself,  even  in  the  throes  of 
death. 

"  You  know,"  he  added,  "  that  I  put  faith  in  none  of 
these  things.  I  wish  that  I  could,  but  reason  and  science 
both  show  me  that  they  lack  foundation.  The  world  on 
the  whole  is  a  sad  place,  where  we  arrive  through  the 
passions  of  others  implanted  in  them  by  Nature,  which, 
although  it  cares  nothing  for  individual  death,  is  tender 
towards  the  impulse  of  races  of  every  sort  to  preserve 
their  collective  life.  Indeed  the  impulse  is  Nature,  or  at 
least  its  chief  manifestation.  Consequently,  whether  we 
be  gnats  or  elephants,  or  anything  between  and  beyond, 
even  stars  for  aught  I  know,  we  must  make  the  best  of 
things  as  they  are,  taking  the  good  and  the  evil  as  they 
come  and  getting  all  we  can  out  of  life  until  it  leaves  us, 
after  which  we  need  not  trouble.  You  had  a  good  time 
for  a  little  while  and  were  happy  in  it;  now  you  are 
having  a  bad  time  and  are  wretched.  Perhaps  in  the 
future,  when  your  mental  balance  has  re-asserted  itself, 
you  will  have  other  good  times  in  the  afternoon  of  your 
days,  and  then  follow  twilight  and  the  dark.  That  is  all 
there  is  to  hope  for,  and  we  may  as  well  look  the  thing 
in  the  face.  Only  I  confess,  my  dear  fellow,  that  your 
experience  convinces  me  that  marriage  should  be  avoided 
at  whatever  inconvenience.  Indeed  I  have  long  won- 
dered that  anyone  can  take  the  responsibility  of  bring- 
ing a  child  into  the  world.  But  probably  nobody  does 
in  cold  blood,  except  misguided  idiots  like  Bastin,"  he 
added.  "  He  would  have  twenty,  had  not  his  luck  inter- 
vened." 


44  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Then  you  believe  in  nothing,  Friend,"  I  said. 

"  Nothing,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  except  what  I  see  and 
my  five  senses  appreciate." 

"You  reject  all  possibility  of  miracle,  for  in- 
stance?" 

"  That  depends  on  what  you  mean  by  miracle.  Science 
shows  us  all  kinds  of  wonders  which  our  great  grand- 
fathers would  have  called  miracles,  but  these  are  nothing 
but  laws  that  we  are  beginning  to  understand.  Give  me 
an  instance." 

"  Well,"  I  replied  at  hazard,  "  if  you  were  assured 
by  someone  that  a  man  could  live  for  a  thousand  years  ?  " 

"  I  should  tell  him  that  he  was  a  fool  or  a  liar,  that 
is  all.  It  is  impossible." 

"  Or  that  the  same  identity,  spirit,  animating  prin- 
ciple— call  it  what  you  will— -can  flit  from  body  to  body, 
say  in  successive  ages?  Or  that  the  dead  can  com- 
municate with  the  living?" 

"Convince  me  of  any  of  these  things,  Arbuthnot,  and 
mind  you  I  desire  to  be  convinced,  and  I  will  take  back 
every  word  I  have  said  and  walk  through  Fulcombe  in 
a  white  sheet  proclaiming  myself  the  fool.  Now,  I  must 
get  off  to  the  Cottage  Hospital  to  cut  out  Widow  Jen- 
kins's varicose  veins.  They  are  tangible  and  real  at  any 
rate;  about  the  largest  I  ever  saw,  indeed.  Give  up 
dreams,  old  boy,  and  take  to  somfihing  useful.  You 
might  go  back  to  your  fiction  writing;  you  seem  to  have 
leanings  that  way,  and  you  know  you  need  not  publish 
the  stories,  except  privately  for  the  edification  of  your 
friends." 

With  this  Parthian  shaft  Bickley  took  his  departure 
to  make  a  job  of  Widow  Jenkins's  legs. 

I  took  his  advice.  During  the  next  few  months  I 
did  write  something  which  occupied  my  thoughts  for  a 


Death  and  Departure  45 

while,  more  or  less.  It  lies  in  my  safe  to  this  minute, 
for  somehow  I  have  never  been  able  to  make  up  my 
mind  to  burn  what  cost  me  so  much  physical  and  mental 
toil. 

When  it  was  finished  my  melancholy  returned  to  me 
with  added  force.  Everything  in  the  house  took  a 
tongue  and  cried  to  me  of  past  days.  Its  walls  echoed 
a  voice  that  I  could  never  hear  again;  in  the  very  look- 
ing-glasses I  saw  the  reflection  of  a  lost  presence.  Al- 
though I  had  moved  myself  for  the  purposes  of  sleep 
to  a  little  room  at  the  further  end  of  the  building,  foot- 
steps seemed  to  creep  about  my  bed  at  night  and  I  heard 
the  rustle  of  a  remembered  dress  without  the  door.  The 
place  grew  hateful  to  me.  I  felt  that  I  must  get  away 
from  it  or  I  should  go  mad. 

One  afternoon  Bastin  arrived  carrying  a  book  and  in 
a  state  of  high  indignation.  This  work,  written,  as  he 
said,  by  some  ribald  traveller,  grossly  traduced  the  char- 
acter of  missionaries  to  the  South  Sea  Islands,  especially 
of  those  of  the  Society  to  which  he  subscribed,  and  he 
threw  it  on  the  table  in  his  righteous  wrath.  Bickley 
picked  it  up  and  opened  it  at  a  photograph  of  a  very 
pretty  South  Sea  Island  girl  clad  in  a  few  flowers  and 
nothing  else,  which  he  held  towards  Bastin,  saying: 

"  Is  it  to  this  child  of  Nature  that  you  object?  I  call 
her  distinctly  attractive,  though  perhaps  she  does  wear 
her  hibiscus  blooms  with  a  difference  to  our  women — a 
little  lower  down." 

"  The  devil  is  always  attractive,"  replied  Bastin 
gloomily.  "  Child  of  Nature  indeed !  I  call  her  Child 
of  Sin.  That  photograph  is  enough  to  make  my  poor 
Sarah  turn  in  her  grave." 

"  Why  ? "  asked  Bickley,  "  seeing  that  wide  seas  roll 


46  When  the  World  Shook 

between  you  and  this  dusky  Venus.  Also  I  thought 
that  according  to  your  Hebrew  legend  sin  came  in  with 
bark  garments." 

"  You  should  search  the  Scriptures,  Bickley,"  I  broke 
in,  "  and  cultivate  accuracy.  It  was  fig-leaves  that  sym- 
bolised its  arrival.  The  garments,  which  I  think  were 
of  skin,  developed  later." 

"  Perhaps,"  went  on  Bickley,  who  had  turned  the 
page,  "she"  (he  referred  to  the  late  Mrs.  Bastin) 
"  would  have  preferred  her  thus,"  and  he  held  up  another 
illustration  of  the  same  woman. 

In  this  the  native  belle  appeared  after  conversion, 
clad  in  broken-down  stays — I  suppose  they  were  stays — 
out  of  which  she  seemed  to  bulge  and  flow  in  every 
direction,  a  dirty  white  dress  several  sizes  too  small,  a 
kind  of  Salvation  Army  bonnet  without  a  crown  and  a 
prayer-book  which  she  held  pressed  to  her  middle;  the 
general  effect  being  hideous,  and  in  some  curious  way, 
improper. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Bastin,  "  though  I  admit  her  clothes 
do  not  seem  to  fit  and  she  has  not  buttoned  them  up 
as  she  ought.  But  it  is  not  of  the  pictures  so  much 
as  of  the  letterpress  with  its  false  and  scandalous  accusa- 
tions, that  I  complain." 

"Why  do  you  complain?"  asked  Bickley.  "Prob- 
ably it  is  quite  true,  though  that  we  could  never  ascer- 
tain without  visiting  the  lady's  home." 

"  If  I  could  afford  it,"  exclaimed  Bastin  with  rising 
anger,  "  I  should  like  to  go  there  and  expose  this  vile 
traducer  of  my  cloth." 

"  So  should  I,"  answered  Bickley,  "  and  expose  these 
introducers  of  consumption,  measles  and  other  Euro- 
pean diseases,  to  say  nothing  of  gin,  among  an  innocent 
and  Arcadian  people." 


Death  and  Departure  47 

"  How  can  you  call  them  innocent,  Bickley,  when 
they  murder  and  eat  missionaries?" 

"  I  dare  say  we  should  all  eat  a  missionary,  Bastin, 
if  we  were  hungry  enough,"  was  the  answer,  after 
which  something  occurred  to  change  the  conversation. 

But  I  kept  the  book  and  read  it  as  a  neutral  observer, 
and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  these  South  Sea  Is- 
lands, a  land  where  it  was  always  afternoon,  must  be  a 
charming  place,  in  which  perhaps  the  stars  of  the  Tropics 
and  the  scent  of  the  flowers  might  enable  one  to  forget 
a  little,  or  at  least  take  the  edge  off  memory.  Why 
should  I  not  visit  them  and  escape  another  long  and 
dreary  English  winter?  No,  I  could  not  do  so  alone. 
If  Bastin  and  Bickley  were  there,  their  eternal  argu- 
ments might  amuse  me.  Well,  why  should  they  not 
come  also?  When  one  has  money  things  can  always 
be  arranged. 

The  idea,  which  had  its  root  in  this  absurd  conver- 
sation, took  a  curious  hold  on  me.  I  thought  of  it  all 
the  evening,  being  alone,  and  that  night  it  re-arose  in 
my  dreams.  I  dreamed  that  my  lost  Natalie  appeared 
to  me  and  showed  me  a  picture.  It  was  of  a  long, 
low  land,  a  curving  shore  of  which  the  ends  were  out 
of  the  picture,  whereon  grew  tall  palms,  and  where  great 
combers  broke  upon  gleaming  sand. 

Then  the  picture  seemed  to  become  a  reality  and  I 
saw  Natalie  herself,  strangely  changeful  in  her  aspect, 
strangely  varying  in  face  and  figure,  strangely  bright, 
standing  in  the  mouth  of  a  pass  whereof  the  little  bor- 
dering cliffs  were  covered  with  bushes  and  low  trees, 
whose  green  was  almost  hid  in  lovely  flowers.  There 
in  my  dream  she  stood,  smiling  mysteriously,  and 
stretched  out  her  arms  towards  me. 

As  I  awoke  I  seemed  to  hear  her  voice,  repeating 


48  When  the  World  Shook 

her  dying  words :  "  Go  where  you  seem  called  to  go, 
far  away.  Oh!  the  wonderful  place  in  which  you  will 
find  me,  not  knowing  that  you  have  found  me." 

With  some  variations  this  dream  visited  me  twice 
that  night.  In  the  morning  I  woke  up  quite  determined 
that  I  would  go  to  the  South  Sea  Islands,  even  if  I 
must  do  so  alone.  On  that  same  evening  Bastin  and 
Bickley  dined  with  me.  I  said  nothing  to  them  about 
my  dream,  for  Bastin  never  dreamed  and  Bickley  would 
have  set  it  down  to  indigestion.  But  when  the  cloth 
had  been  cleared  away  and  we  were  drinking  our  glass 
of  port — both  Bastin  and  Bickley  only  took  one,  the 
former  because  he  considered  port  a  sinful  indulgence 
of  the  flesh,  the  latter  because  he  feared  it  would  give 
him  gout — I  remarked  casually  that  they  both  looked 
very  run  down  and  as  though  they  wanted  a  rest.  They 
agreed,  at  least  each  of  them  said  he  had  noticed  it  in 
the  other.  Indeed  Bastin  added  that  the  damp  and  the 
cold  in  the  church,  in  which  he  held  daily  services  to 
no  congregation  except  the  old  woman  who  cleaned  it, 
had  given  him  rheumatism,  which  prevented  him  from 
sleeping. 

"Do  call  things  by  their  proper  names,"  interrupted 
Bickley.  "  I  told  you  yesterday  that  what  you  are  suf- 
fering from  is  neuritis  in  your  right  arm,  which  will 
become  chronic  if  you  neglect  it  much  longer.  I  have 
the  same  thing  myself,  so  I  ought  to  know,  and  unless 
I  can  stop  operating  for  a  while  I  believe  my  fingers  will 
become  useless.  Also  something  is  affecting  my  sight, 
overstrain,  I  suppose,  so  that  I  am  obliged  to  wear 
stronger  and  stronger  glasses.  I  think  I  shall  have  to 
leave  Ogden  "  (his  partner)  "  in  charge  for  a  while,  and 
get  away  into  the  sun.  There  is  none  here  before 
June." 


Death  and  Departure  49 

"  I  would  if  I  could  pay  a  locum  tenens  and  were  quite 
sure  it  isn't  wrong,"  said  Bastin. 

"  I  am  glad  you  both  think  like  that,"  I  remarked, 
"  as  I  have  a  suggestion  to  make  to  you.  I  want  to  go 
to  the  South  Seas  about  which  we  were  talking  yester- 
day, to  get  the  thorough  change  that  Bickley  has  been 
advising  for  me,  and  I  should  be  very  grateful  if  you 
would  both  come  as  my  guests.  You,  Bickley,  make  so 
much  money  out  of  cutting  people  about,  that  you  can 
arrange  your  own  affairs  during  your  absence.  But  as 
for  you,  Bastin,  I  will  see  to  the  wherewithal  for  the 
locum  tenens,  and  everything  else." 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  said  Bastin,  "  and  certainly  I 
should  like  to  expose  that  misguided  author,  who  prob- 
ably published  his  offensive  work  without  thinking  that 
what  he  wrote  might  affect  the  subscriptions  to  the  mis- 
sionary societies,  also  to  show  Bickley  that  he  is  not 
always  right,  as  he  seems  to  think.  But  I  could  never 
dream  of  accepting  without  the  full  approval  of  the 
Bishop." 

"  You  might  get  that  of  your  nurse  also,  if  she  hap- 
pens to  be  still  alive,"  mocked  Bickley.  "As  for  his 
Lordship,  I  don't  think  he  will  raise  any  objection  when 
he  sees  the  certificate  I  will  give  you  about  the  state  of 
your  health.  He  is  a  great  believer  in  me  ever  since  I 
took  that  carbuncle  out  of  his  neck  which  he  got  because 
he  will  not  eat  enough.  As  for  me,  I  mean  to  come  if 
only  to  show  you  how  continually  and  persistently  you 
are  wrong.  But,  Arbuthnot,  how  do  you  mean  to  go  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.    In  a  mail  steamer,  I  suppose." 

"  If  you  can  run  to  it,  a  yatch  would  be  much  better." 

"  That's  a  good  idea,  for  one  could  get  out  of  the 
beaten  tracks  and  see  the  places  that  are  never,  or  sel- 
dom, visited.  I  will  make  some  inquiries.  And  now, 


50  When  the  World  Shook 

to  celebrate  the  occasion,  let  us  all  have  another  glass  of 
port  and  drink  a  toast." 

They  hesitated  and  were  lost,  Bastin  murmuring 
something  about  doing  without  his  stout  next  day  as  a 
penance.  Then  they  both  asked  what  was  the  toast, 
each  of  them,  after  thought,  suggesting  that  it  should 
be  the  utter  confusion  of  the  other. 

I  shook  my  head,  whereon  as  a  result  of  further 
cogitation,  Bastin  submitted  that  the  Unknown  would 
be  suitable.  Bickley  said  that  he  thought  this  a  foolish 
idea  as  everything  worth  knowing  was  already  known, 
and  what  was  the  good  of  drinking  to  the  rest?  A  toast 
to  the  Truth  would  be  better. 

A  notion  came  to  me. 

"  Let  us  combine  them,"  I  said,  "  and  drink  to  the 
Unknown  Truth." 

So  we  did,  though  Bastin  grumbled  that  the  per- 
formance made  him  feel  like  Pilate. 

"  We  are  all  Pilates  in  our  way,"  I  replied  with  a 
sigh. 

"  That  is  what  I  think  every  time  I  diagnose  a  case," 
exclaimed  Bickley. 

As  for  me  I  laughed  and  for  some  unknown  reason 
felt  happier  than  I  had  done  for  months.  Oh!  if  only 
the  writer  of  that  tourist  tale  of  the  South  Sea  Islands 
could  have  guessed  what  fruit  his  light-thrown  seed 
would  yield  to  us  and  to  the  world! 

I  made  my  inquiries  through  a  London  agency  which 
hired  out  yachts  or  sold  them  to  the  idle  rich.  As  I 
expected,  there  were  plenty  to  be  had,  at  a  price,  but 
wealthy  as  I  was,  the  figure  asked  of  the  buyer  of  any 
suitable  craft  staggered  me.  In  the  end,  however,  I 
chartered  one  for  six  months  certain  and  at  so  much  per 


Death  and  Departure  51 

month  for  as  long  as  I  liked  afterwards.  The  owners 
paid  insurance  and  everything  else  on  condition  that 
they  appointed  the  captain  and  first  mate,  also  the  engi- 
neer, for  this  yacht,  which  was  named  Star  of  the  South, 
could  steam  at  about  ten  knots  as  well  as  sail. 

I  know  nothing  about  yachts,  and  therefore  shall  not 
attempt  to  describe  her,  further  than  to  say  that  she  was 
of  five  hundred  and  fifty  tons  burden,  very  well  con- 
structed, and  smart  to  look  at,  as  well  she  might  be, 
seeing  that  a  deceased  millionaire  from  whose  executors 
I  hired  her  had  spent  a  fortune  in  building  and  equip- 
ping her  in  the  best  possible  style.  In  all,  her  crew  con- 
sisted of  thirty-two  hands.  A  peculiarity  of  the  vessel 
was  that  owing  to  some  fancy  of  the  late  owner,  the 
passenger  accommodation,  which  was  splendid,  lay  for- 
ward of  the  bridge,  this  with  the  ship's  store-rooms,  re- 
frigerating chamber,  etc.,  being  almost  in  the  bows.  It 
was  owing  to  these  arrangements,  which  were  unusual, 
that  the  executors  found  it  impossible  to  sell,  and  were 
therefore  glad  to  accept  such  an  offer  as  mine  in  order 
to  save  expenses.  Perhaps  they  hoped  that  she  might 
go  to  the  bottom,  being  heavily  insured.  If  so,  the 
Fates  did  not  disappoint  them. 

The  captain,  named  Astley,  was  a  jovial  person  who 
held  every  kind  of  certificate.  He  seemed  so  extraor- 
dinarily able  at  his  business  that  personally  I  suspected 
him  of  having  made  mistakes  in  the  course  of  his  career, 
not  unconnected  with  the  worship  of  Bacchus.  In  this 
I  believe  I  was  right;  otherwise  a  man  of  such  attain- 
ments would  have  been  commanding  something  bigger 
than  a  private  yacht.  The  first  mate,  Jacobsen,  was  a 
melancholy  Dane,  a  spiritualist  who  played  the  concer- 
tina, and  seemed  to  be  able  to  do  without  sleep.  The 
crew  were  a  mixed  lot,  good  men  for  the  most  part  and 


52  When  the  World  Shook 

quite  unobjectionable,  more  than  half  of  them  being 
Scandinavian.  I  think  that  is  all  I  need  say  about  the 
Star  of  the  South. 

The  arrangement  was  that  the  Star  of  the  South 
should  proceed  through  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  to  Mar- 
seilles, where  we  would  join  her,  and  thence  travel  via 
the  Suez  Canal,  to  Australia  and  on  to  the  South  Seas, 
returning  home  as  our  fancy  or  convenience  might 
dictate. 

All  the  first  part  of  the  plan  we  carried  out  to  the 
letter.  Of  the  remainder  I  say  nothing  at  present. 

The  Star  of  the  South  was  amply  provided  with  every 
kind  of  store.  Among  them  were  medicines  and  surgical 
instruments,  selected  by  Bickley,  and  a  case  of  Bibles 
and  other  religious  works  in  sundry  languages  of  the 
South  Seas,  selected  by  Bastin,  whose  bishop,  when  he 
understood  the  pious  objects  of  his  journey,  had  rather 
encouraged  than  hindered  his  departure  on  sick  leave, 
and  a  large  number  of  novels,  books  of  reference,  etc., 
laid  in  by  myself.  She  duly  sailed  from  the  Thames  and 
reached  Marseilles  after  a  safe  and  easy  passage,  where 
all  three  of  us  boarded  her. 

I  forgot  to  add  that  she  had  another  passenger,  the 
little  spaniel,  Tommy.  I  had  intended  to  leave  him 
behind,  but  while  I  was  packing  up  he  followed  me 
about  with  such  evident  understanding  of  my  purpose 
that  my  heart  was  touched.  When  I  entered  the  motor 
to  drive  to  the  station  he  escaped  from  the  hands  of 
the  servant,  whimpering,  and  took  refuge  on  my  knee. 
After  this  I  felt  that  Destiny  intended  him  to  be  our 
companion.  Moreover,  was  he  not  linked  with  my  dead 
past,  and,  had  I  but  known  it,  with  my  living  future 
also? 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  CYCLONE 

WE  enjoyed  our  voyage  exceedingly.  In  Egypt,  a  land 
I  was  glad  to  revisit,  we  only  stopped  a  week  while  the 
Star  of  the  South,  which  we  rejoined  at  Suez,  coaled 
and  went  through  the  Canal.  This,  however,  gave  us 
time  to  spend  a  few  days  in  Cairo,  visit  the  Pyramids 
and  Sakkara  which  Bastin  and  Bickley  had  never  seen 
before,  and  inspect  the  great  Museum.  The  journey  up 
the  Nile  was  postponed  until  our  return.  It  was  a 
pleasant  break  and  gave  Bickley,  a  most  omnivorous 
reader  who  was  well  acquainted  with  Egyptian  history 
and  theology,  the  opportunity  of  trying  to  prove  to 
Bastin  that  Christianity  was  a  mere  development  of  the 
ancient  Egyptian  faith.  The  arguments  that  ensued 
may  be  imagined.  It  never  seemed  to  occur  to  either 
of  them  that  all  faiths  may  be  and  indeed  probably  are 
progressive;  in  short,  different  rays  of  light  thrown 
from  the  various  facets  of  the  same  crystal,  as  in  turn 
these  are  shone  upon  by  the  sun  of  Truth. 

Our  passage  down  the  Red  Sea  was  cool  and  agree- 
able. Thence  we  shaped  our  course  for  Ceylon.  Here 
again  we  stopped  a  little  while  to  run  up  to  Kandy 
and  to  visit  the  ruined  city  of  Anarajapura  with  its  great 
Buddhist  topes  that  once  again  gave  rise  to  religious 
argument  between  my  two  friends.  Leaving  Ceylon  we 
struck  across  the  Indian  Ocean  for  Perth  in  Western 
Australia. 

It  was  a  long  voyage,  since  to  save  our  coal  we  made 

S3 


54  When  the  World  Shook 

most  of  it  under  canvas.  However,  we  were  not  dull  as 
Captain  Astley  was  a  good  companion,  and  even  out  of 
the  melancholy  Dane,  Jacobsen,  we  had  entertainment. 
He  insisted  on  holding  seances  in  the  cabin,  at  which 
the  usual  phenomena  occurred.  The  table  twisted 
about,  voices  were  heard  and  Jacobsen's  accordion 
wailed  out  tunes  above  our  heads.  These  happenings 
drove  Bickley  to  a  kind  of  madness,  for  here  were  events 
which  he  could  not  explain.  He  was  convinced  that 
someone  was  playing  tricks  upon  him,  and  devised  the 
most  elaborate  snares  to  detect  the  rogue,  entirely 
without  result. 

First  he  accused  Jacobsen,  who  was  very  indignant, 
and  then  me,  who  laughed.  In  the  end  Jacobsen  and 
I  left  the  "  circle "  and  the  cabin,  which  was  locked 
behind  us;  only  Bastin  and  Bickley  remaining  there  in 
the  dark.  Presently  we  heard  sounds  of  altercation,  and 
Bickley  emerged  looking  very  red  in  the  face,  followed 
by  Bastin,  who  was  saying: 

"  Can  I  help  it  if  something  pulled  your  nose  and 
snatched  off  your  eyeglasses,  which  anyhow  are  quite 
useless  to  you  when  there  is  no  light?  Again,  is  it 
possible  for  me,  sitting  on  the  other  side  of  that  table, 
to  have  placed  the  concertina  on  your  head  and  made  it 
play  the  National  Anthem,  a  thing  that  I  have  not  the 
slightest  idea  how  to  do  ?  " 

"  Please  do  not  try  to  explain,"  snapped  Bickley.  "  I 
am  perfectly  aware  that  you  deceived  me  somehow, 
which  no  doubt  you  think  a  good  joke." 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  I  interrupted,  "  is  it  possible  to 
imagine  old  Basil  deceiving  anyone  ?  " 

"Why  not,"  snorted  Bickley,  "seeing  that  he 
deceives  himself  from  one  year's  end  to  the  other?" 


The  Cyclone  55 

"  I  think,"  said  Bastin,  "  that  this  is  an  unholy 
business  and  that  we  are  both  deceived  by  the  devil.  I 
will  have  no  more  to  do  with  it,"  and  he  departed 
to  his  cabin,  probably  to  say  some  appropriate 
prayers. 

After  this  the  seances  were  given  up  but  Jacobsen 
produced  an  instrument  called  a  planchette  and  with 
difficulty  persuaded  Bickley  to  try  it,  which  he  did  after 
many  precautions.  The  thing,  a  heart-shaped  piece  of* 
wood  mounted  on  wheels  and  with  a  pencil  stuck  at  its 
narrow  end,  cantered  about  the  sheet  of  paper  on  which 
it  was  placed,  Bickley,  whose  hands  rested  upon  it,  star- 
ing at  the  roof  of  the  cabin.  Then  it  began  to  scribble 
and  after  a  while  stopped  still. 

"Will  the  Doctor  look?"  said  Jacobsen.  "Perhaps 
the  spirits  have  told  him  something." 

"  Oh !  curse  all  this  silly  talk  about  spirits,"  ex- 
claimed Bickley,  as  he  arranged  his  eyeglasses  and  held 
up  the  paper  to  the  light,  for  it  was  after  dinner. 

He  stared,  then  with  an  exclamation  which  I  will 
not  repeat,  and  a  glance  of  savage  suspicion  at  the  poor 
Dane  and  the  rest  of  us,  threw  it  down  and  left  the 
cabin.  I  picked  it  up  and  next  moment  was  screaming 
with  laughter.  There  on  the  top  of  the  sheet  was 
a  rough  but  entirely  recognizable  portrait  of  Bickley 
with  the  accordion  on  his  head,  and  underneath,  written 
in  a  delicate,  Italian  female  hand,  absolutely  different 
from  his  own,  were  these  words  taken  from  one  of  St. 
Paul's  Epistles — "  Oppositions  of  science  falsely  so 
called."  Underneath  them  again  in  a  scrawling,  school- 
boy fist,  very  like  Bastin's,  was  inscribed,  "  Tell  us  how 
this  is  done,  you  silly  doctor,  who  think  yourself  so 
clever." 


56  When  the  World  Shook 

"It  seems  that  the  devil  really  can  quote  Scripture," 
was  Bastin's  only  comment,  while  Jacobsen  stared 
before  him  and  smiled. 

Bickley  never  alluded  to  the  matter,  but  for  days 
afterwards  I  saw  him  experimenting  with  paper  and 
chemicals,  evidently  trying  to  discover  a  form  of 
invisible  ink  which  would  appear  upon  the  application  of 
the  hand.  As  he  never  said  anything  about  it,  I  fear 
that  he  failed. 

This  planchette  business  had  a  somewhat  curious 
ending.  A  few  nights  later  Jacobsen  was  working  it 
and  asked  me  to  put  a  question.  To  oblige  him  I  in- 
quired on  what  day  we  should  reach  Fremantle,  the  port 
of  Perth.  It  wrote  an  answer  which,  I  may  remark, 
subsequently  proved  to  be  quite  correct. 

"  That  is  not  a  good  question,"  said  Jacobsen,  "  since 
as  a  sailor  I  might  guess  the  reply.  Try  again,  Mr. 
Arbuthnot." 

"Will  anything  remarkable  happen  on  our  voyage 
to  the  South  Seas  ?  "  I  inquired  casually. 

The  planchette  hesitated  a  while  then  wrote  rapidly 
and  stopped.  Jacobsen  took  up  the  paper  and  began  to 
read  the  answer  aloud — "  To  A,  B  the  D,  and  B  the  C, 
the  most  remarkable  things  will  happen  that  have  hap- 
pened to  men  living  in  the  world." 

"  That  must  mean  me,  Bickley  the  doctor  and  Bastin 
the  clergyman,"  I  said,  laughing. 

Jacobsen  paid  no  attention,  for  he  was  reading  what 
followed.  As  he  did  so  I  saw  his  face  turn  white  and 
his  eyes  begin  to  start  from  his  head.  Then  suddenly 
he  tore  the  paper  in  pieces  which  he  thrust  into  his 
pocket.  Lifting  his  great  fist  he  uttered  some  Danish 
oath  and  with  a  single  blow  smashed  the  planchette  to 
fragments,  after  which  he  strode  away,  leaving  me 


The  Cyclone  57 

astonished  and  somewhat  disturbed.     When  I  met  him 
the  next  morning  I  asked  him  what  was  on  the  paper. 

"  Oh ! "  he  said  quietly,  "  something  I  should  not 
like  you  too-proper  English  gentlemens  to  see.  Some- 
thing not  nice.  You  understand.  Those  spirits  not 
always  good;  they  do  that  kind  of  thing  sometimes. 
That's  why  I  broke  up  this  planchette." 

Then  he  began  to  talk  of  something  else  and  there 
the  matter  ended. 

I  should  have  said  that,  principally  with  a  view  to 
putting  themselves  in  a  position  to  confute  each  other, 
ever  since  we  had  started  from  Marseilles  both  Bastin 
and  Bickley  spent  a  number  of  hours  each  day  in 
assiduous  study  of  the  language  of  the  South  Sea 
Islands.  It  became  a  kind  of  competition  between  them 
as  to  which  could  learn  the  most.  Now  Bastin, 
although  simple  and  even  stupid  in  some  ways,  was  a 
good  scholar,  and  as  I  knew  at  college,  had  quite  a 
faculty  for  acquiring  languages  in  which  he  had  taken 
high  marks  at  examinations.  Bickley,  too,  was  an 
extraordinarily  able  person  with  an  excellent  memory, 
especially  when  he  was  on  his  mettle.  The  result  was 
that  before  we  ever  reached  a  South  Sea  island  they  had 
a  good  working  knowledge  of  the  local  tongues. 

As  it  chanced,  too,  at  Perth  we  picked  up  a  Samoan 
and  his  wife  who,  under  some  of  the  "  white  Australia  " 
regulations,  were  not  allowed  to  remain  in  the  country 
and  offered  to  work  as  servants  in  return  for  a  passage 
to  Apia  where  we  proposed  to  call  some  time  or  other. 
With  these  people  Bastin  and  Bickley  talked  all  day 
long  till  really  they  became  fairly  proficient  in  their  soft 
and  beautiful  dialect  They  wished  me  to  learn  also, 
but  I  said  that  with  two  such  excellent  interpreters  and 
the  natives  while  they  remained  with  us,  it  seemed  quite 


58  When  the  World  Shook 

unnecessary.  Still,  I  picked  up  a  good  deal  in  a  quiet 
way,  as  much  as  they  did  perhaps. 

At  length,  travelling  on  and  on  as  a  voyager  to  the 
planet  Mars  might  do,  we  sighted  the  low  shores  of 
Australia  and  that  same  evening  were  towed,  for  our 
coal  was  quite  exhausted,  to  the  wharf  at  Fremantle. 
Here  we  spent  a  few  days  exploring  the  beautiful  town 
of  Perth  and  its  neighbourhood  where  it  was  very  hot 
just  then,  and  eating  peaches  and  grapes  till  we  made 
ourselves  ill,  as  a  visitor  often  does  who  is  unaware  that 
fruit  should  not  be  taken  in  quantity  in  Australia  while 
the  sun  is  high.  Then  we  departed  for  Melbourne 
almost  before  our  arrival  was  generally  known,  since  I 
did  not  wish  to  advertise  our  presence  or  the  object  of 
our  journey. 

We  crossed  the  Great  Australian  Bight,  of  evil 
reputation,  in  the  most  perfect  weather;  indeed  it  might 
have  been  a  mill  pond,  and  after  a  short  stay  at  Mel- 
bourne, went  on  to  Sydney,  where  we  coaled  again  and 
laid  in  supplies. 

Then  our  real  journey  began.  The  plan  we  laid  out 
was  to  sail  to  Suva  in  Fiji,  about  1,700  miles  away,  and 
after  a  stay  there,  on  to  Hawaii  or  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
stopping  perhaps  at  the  Phoanix  Islands  and  the  Central 
Polynesian  Sporades,  such  as  Christmas  and  Fanning 
Isles.  Then  we  proposed  to  turn  south  again  through 
the  Marshall  Archipelago  and  the  Caroline  Islands,  and 
so  on  to  New  Guinea  and  the  Coral  Sea.  Particularly 
did  we  wish  to  visit  Easter  Island  on  account  of  its 
marvellous  sculptures  that  are  supposed  to  be  the  relics 
of  a  pre-historic  race.  In  truth,  however,  we  had  no  fixed 
plan  except  to  go  wherever  circumstance  and  chance 
might  take  us.  Chance,  I  may  add,  or  something  else, 
took  full  advantage  of  its  opportunities. 


The  Cyclone  59 

We  came  to  Suva  in  safety  and  spent  a  while  in 
exploring  the  beautiful  Fiji  Isles  where  both  Bastin  and 
Bickley  made  full  inquiries  about  the  work  of  the 
missionaries,  each  of  them  drawing  exactly  opposite 
conclusions  from  the  same  set  of  admitted  facts.  Thence 
we  steamed  to  Samoa  and  put  our  two  natives  ashore  at 
Apia,  where  we  procured  some  coal.  We  did  not  stay 
long  enough  in  these  islands  to  investigate  them,  how- 
ever, because  persons  of  experience  there  assured  us 
from  certain  familiar  signs  that  one  of  the  terrible  hurri- 
canes with  which  they  are  afflicted,  was  due  to  arrive 
shortly  and  that  we  should  do  well  to  put  ourselves 
beyond  its  reach.  So  having  coaled  and  watered  we 
departed  in  a  hurry. 

Up  to  this  time  I  should  state  we  had  met  with  the 
most  wonderful  good  fortune  in  the  matter  of  weather, 
so  good  indeed  that  never  on  one  occasion  since  we 
left  Marseilles,  had  we  been  obliged  to  put  the  fiddles 
on  the  tables.  With  the  superstition  of  a  sailor  Captain 
Astley,  when  I  alluded  to  the  matter,  shook  his  head 
saying  that  doubtless  we  should  pay  for  it  later  on, 
since  "  luck  never  goes  all  the  way  "  and  cyclones  were 
reported  to  be  about. 

Here  I  must  tell  that  after  we  were  clear  of  Apia,  it 
was  discovered  that  the  Danish  mate  who  was  believed 
to  be  in  his  cabin  unwell  from  something  he  had  eaten, 
was  missing.  The  question  arose  whether  we  should 
put  back  to  find  him,  as  we  supposed  that  he  had  made 
a  trip  inland  and  met  with  an  accident,  or  been  other- 
wise delayed.  I  was  in  favour  of  doing  so  though  the 
captain,  thinking  of  the  threatened  hurricane,  shook 
his  head  and  said  that  Jacobsen  was  a  queer  fellow  who 
might  just  as  well  have  gone  overboard  as  anywhere 
else,  if  he  thought  he  heard  "  the  spirits,  of  whom  he  was 


60  When  the  World  Shook 

so  fond,"  calling  him.  While  the  matter  was  still  in 
suspense  I  happened  to  go  into  my  own  stateroom  and 
there,  stuck  in  the  looking-glass,  saw  an  envelope  in  the 
Dane's  handwriting  addressed  to  myself.  On  opening 
it  I  found  another  sealed  letter,  unaddressed,  also  a  note 
that  ran  as  follows : 

"  Honoured  Sir, 

"  You  will  think  very  badly  of  me  for  leaving  you, 
but  the  enclosed  which  I  implore  you  not  to  open  until 
you  have  seen  the  last  of  the  Star  of  the  South,  will 
explain  my  reason  and  I  hope  clear  my  reputation.  I 
thank  you  again  and  again  for  all  your  kindness  and 
pray  that  the  Spirits  who  rule  the  world  may  bless  and 
preserve  you,  also  the  Doctor  and  Mr.  Bastin." 

This  letter,  which  left  the  fate  of  Jacobsen  quite  un- 
solved, for  it  might  mean  either  that  he  had  deserted 
or  drowned  himself,  I  put  away  with  the  enclosure  in  my 
pocket.  Of  course  there  was  no  obligation  on  me  to 
refrain  from  opening  the  letter,  but  I  shrank  from  doing 
so  both  from  some  kind  of  sense  of  honour  and,  to  tell 
the  truth,  for  fear  of  what  it  might  contain.  I  felt  that 
this  would  be  disagreeable;  also,  although  there  was 
nothing  to  connect  them  together,  I  bethought  me  of 
the  scene  when  Jacobsen  had  smashed  the  planchette. 

On  my  return  to  the  deck  I  said  nothing  whatsoever 
about  the  discovery  of  the  letter,  but  only  remarked 
that  on  reflection  I  had  changed  my  mind  and  agreed 
with  the  captain  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  attempt  to 
return  in  order  to  look  for  Jacobsen.  So  the  boatswain, 
a  capable  individual  who  had  seen  better  days,  was 
promoted  to  take  his  watches  and  we  went  on  as  before. 
How  curiously  things  come  about  in  the  world!  For 
nautical  reasons  that  were  explained  to  me,  but  which  I 


The  Cyclone  fo 

will  not  trouble  to  set  down,  if  indeed  I  could  remember 
them,  I  believe  that  if  we  had  returned  to  Apia  we  should 
have  missed  the  great  gale  and  subsequent  cyclone,  and 
with  these  much  else.  But  it  was  not  so  fated. 

It  was  on  the  fourth  day,  when  we  were  roughly 
seven  hundred  miles  or  more  north  of  Samoa,  that  we 
met  the  edge  of  this  gale  about  sundown.  The  captain 
put  on  steam  in  the  hope  of  pushing  through  it,  but 
that  night  we  dined  for  the  first  time  with  the  fiddles 
on,  and  by  eleven  o'clock  it  was  as  much  as  one  could 
do  to  stand  in  the  cabin,  while  the  water  was  washing 
freely  over  the  deck.  Fortunately,  however,  the  wind 
veered  more  aft  of  us,  so  that  by  putting  about  her  head 
a  little  (seamen  must  forgive  me  if  I  talk  of  these  matters 
as  a  landlubber)  we  ran  almost  before  the  wind,  though 
not  quite  in  the  direction  that  we  wished  to  go. 

When  the  light  came  it  was  blowing  very  hard 
indeed,  and  the  sky  was  utterly  overcast,  so  that  we  got 
no  glimpse  of  the  sun,  or  of  the  stars  on  the  following 
night.  Unfortunately,  there  was  no  moon  visible;  in- 
deed, if  there  had  been  I  do  not  suppose  that  it  would 
have  helped  us  because  of  the  thick  pall  of  clouds.  For 
quite  seventy-two  hours  we  ran  on  beneath  bare  poles 
before  that  gale.  The  little  vessel  behaved  splendidly, 
riding  the  seas  like  a  duck,  but  I  could  see  that  Captain 
Astley  was  growing  alarmed.  When  I  said  something 
complimentary  to  him  about  the  conduct  of  the  Star  of 
the  South,  he  replied  that  she  was  forging  ahead  all 
right,  but  the  question  was — where  to?  He  had  been 
unable  to  take  an  observation  of  any  sort  since  we  left 
Samoa;  both  his  patent  logs  had  been  carried  away,  so 
that  now  only  the  compass  remained,  and  he  had  not 
the  slightest  idea  where  we  were  in  that  great  ocean 
studded  with  atolls  and  islands. 


62  When  the  World  Shook 

I  asked  him  whether  we  could  not  steam  back  to  our 
proper  course,  but  he  answered  that  to  do  so  he  would 
have  to  travel  dead  in  the  eye  of  the  gale,  and  lie 
doubted  whether  the  engines  would  stand  it.  Also 
there  was  the  question  of  coal  to  be  considered.  How- 
ever, he  had  kept  the  fires  going  and  would  do  what  he 
could  if  the  weather  moderated. 

That  night  during  dinner  which  now  consisted  of 
tinned  foods  and  whisky  and  water,  for  the  seas  had  got 
to  the  galley  fire,  suddenly  the  gale  dropped,  whereat 
we  rejoiced  exceedingly.  The  captain  came  down  into 
the  saloon  very  white  and  shaken,  I  thought,  and  I 
asked  him  to  have  a  nip  of  whisky  to  warm  him  up,  and 
to  celebrate  our  good  fortune  in  having  run  out  of  the 
wind.  He  took  the  bottle  and,  to  my  alarm,  poured  out 
a  full  half  tumbler  of  spirit,  which  he  swallowed  un- 
diluted in  two  or  three  gulps. 

"  That's  better !  "  he  said  with  a  hoarse  laugh.  "  But 
man,  what  is  it  you  are  saying  about  having  run  out  of 
the  wind  ?  Look  at  the  glass !  " 

"  We  have,"  said  Bastin,  "  and  it  is  wonderfully 
steady.  About  29  degrees  or  a  little  over,  which  it  has 
been  for  the  last  three  days." 

Again  Astley  laughed  in  a  mirthless  fashion,  as  he 
answered : 

"Oh,  that  thing!  That's  the  passengers'  glass.  I 
told  the  steward  to  put  it  out  of  gear  so  that  you  might 
not  be  frightened;  it  is  an  old  trick.  Look  at  this,"  and 
he  produced  one  of  the  portable  variety  out  of  his  pocket. 

We  looked,  and  it  stood  somewhere  between  27 
degrees  and  28  degrees. 

"  That's  the  lowest  glass  I  ever  saw  in  the  Polynesian 
or  any  other  seas  during  thirty  years.  It's  right,  too, 
for  I  have  tested  it  by  three  others,"  he  said. 


The  Cyclone  63 

"  What  does  it  mean  ?  "  I  asked  rather  anxiously. 

"  South  Sea  cyclone  of  the  worst  breed,"  he  replied. 
"  That  cursed  Dane  knew  it  was  coming  and  that's  why 
he  left  the  ship.  Pray  as  you  never  prayed  before,"  and 
again  he  stretched  out  his  hand  towards  the  whisky 
bottle.  But  I  stepped  between  him  and  it,  shaking  my 
head.  Thereon  he  laughed  for  the  third  time  and  left 
the  cabin.  Though  I  saw  him  once  or  twice  afterwards, 
these  were  really  the  last  words  of  intelligible  conversa- 
tion that  I  ever  had  with  Captain  Astley. 

"  It  seems  that  we  are  in  some  danger,"  said  Bastin, 
in  an  unmoved  kind  of  way.  "  I  think  that  was  a  good 
idea  of  the  captain's,  to  put  up  a  petition,  I  mean,  but 
as  Bickley  will  scarcely  care  to  join  in  it  I  will  go  into 
the  cabin  and  do  so  myself." 

Bickley  snorted,  then  said: 

"Confound  that  captain!  Why  did  he  play  such  a 
trick  upon  us  about  the  barometer?  Humphrey,  I 
believe  he  had  been  drinking." 

"  So  do  I,"  I  said,  looking  at  the  whisky  bottle. 
"  Otherwise,  after  taking  those  precautions  to  keep  us 
in  the  dark,  he  would  not  have  let  on  like  that." 

"Well,"  said  Bickley,  "he  can't  get  to  the  liquor, 
except  through  this  saloon,  as  it  is  locked  up  forward 
with  the  other  stores." 

"  That's  nothing,"  I  replied,  "  as  doubtless  he  has  a 
supply  of  his  own;  rum,  I  expect.  We  must  take  our 
chance." 

Bickley  nodded,  and  suggested  that  we  should  go 
on  deck  to  see  what  was  happening.  So  we  went.  Not 
a  breath  of  wind  was  stirring,  and  even  the  sea  seemed 
to  be  settling  down  a  little.  At  least,  so  we  judged 
from  the  motion,  for  we  could  not  see  either  it  or  the 
sky;  everything  was  as  black  as  pitch.  We  heard  the 


64  When  the  World  Shook 

sailors,  however,  engaged  in  rigging  guide  ropes  fore 
and  aft,  and  battening  down  the  hatches  with  extra 
tarpaulins  by  the  light  of  lanterns.  Also  they  were 
putting  ropes  round  the  boats  and  doing  something  to 
the  spars  and  topmasts.  • 

Presently  Bastin  joined  us,  having,  I  suppose, 
finished  his  devotions. 

"  Really,  it  is  quite  pleasant  here,"  he  said.  "  One 
never  knows  how  disagreeable  so  much  wind  is  until 
it  stops." 

I  lit  my  pipe,  making  no  answer,  and  the  match 
burned  quite  steadily  there  in  the  open  air. 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  exclaimed  Bickley,  staring  at  some- 
thing which  now  I  saw  for  the  first  time.  It  looked  like 
a  line  of  white  approaching  through  the  gloom.  With 
it  came  a  hissing  sound,  and  although  there  was  still 
no  wind,  the  rigging  began  to  moan  mysteriously  like 
a  thing  in  pain.  A  big  drop  of  water  also  fell  from  the 
skies  into  my  pipe  and  put  it  out.  Then  one  of  the 
sailors  cried  in  a  hoarse  voice: 

"  Get  down  below,  governors,  unless  you  want  to  go 
out  to  sea !  " 

"  Why  ?  "  inquired  Bastin. 

"  Why  ?  Becos  the  'urricane  is  coming,  that's  all. 
Coming  as  though  the  devil  had  kicked  it  out  of  'ell." 

Bastin  seemed  inclined  to  remonstrate  at  this  sort  of 
language,  but  we  pushed  him  down  the  companion  and 
followed,  propelling  the  spaniel  Tommy  in  front  of  us. 
Next  moment  I  heard  the  sailors  battening  the  hatch 
with  hurried  blows,  and  when  this  was  done  to  their 
satisfaction,  heard  their  feet  also  as  they  ran  into 
shelter. 

Another  instant  and  we  were  all  lying  in  a  heap  on 
the  cabin  floor  with  poor  Tommy  on  top  of  us.  The 


The  Cyclone  65 

cyclone  had  struck  the  ship!  Above  the  wash  of  water 
and  the  screaming  of  the  gale  we  heard  other  mysterious 
sounds,  which  doubtless  were  caused  by  the  yards  hitting 
the  seas,  for  the  yacht  was  lying  on  her  side.  I  thought 
that  all  was  over,  but  presently  there  came  a  rending, 
crashing  noise.  The  masts,  or  one  of  them,  had  gone, 
and  by  degrees  we  righted. 

"  Near  thing!  "  said  Bickley.  "  Good  heavens,  what's 
that?" 

I  listened,  for  the  electric  light  had  temporarily  gone 
out,  owing,  I  suppose,  to  the  dynamo  having  stopped 
for  a  moment.  A  most  unholy  and  hollow  sound  was 
rising  from  the  cabin  floor.  It  might  have  been  caused 
by  a  bullock  with  its  windpipe  cut,  trying  to  get  its 
breath  and  groaning.  Then  the  light  came  on  again 
and  we  saw  Bastin  lying  at  full  length  on  the  carpet. 

"  He's  broken  his  neck  or  something,"  I  said. 

Bickley  crept  to  him  and  having  looked,  sang  out: 

"  It's  all  right !  He's  only  sea-sick.  I  thought  it 
would  come  to  that  if  he  drank  so  much  tea." 

"Sea-sick,"  I  said  faintly— "  sea-sick?  " 

"That's  all,"  said  Bickley.  "The  nerves  of  the 
stomach  acting  on  the  brain  or  vice-versa — that  is,  if 
Bastin  has  a  brain,"  he  added  sotto  voce. 

"  Oh !  "  groaned  the  prostrate  clergyman.  "  I  wish 
that  I  were  dead !  " 

"  Don't  trouble  about  that,"  answered  Bickley.  "  I 
expect  you  soon  will  be.  Here,  drink  some  whisky,  you 
donkey." 

Bastin  sat  up  and  obeyed,  out  of  the  bottle,  for  it 
was  impossible  to  pour  anything  into  a  glass,  with  results 
too  dreadful  to  narrate. 

"  I  call  that  a  dirty  trick,"  he  said  presently,  in  a 
feeble  voice,  glowering  at  Bickley. 


66  When  the  World  Shook 

"I  expect  I  shall  have  to  play  you  a  dirtier  before 
long,  for  you  are  a  pretty  bad  case,  old  fellow." 

As  a  matter  of  fact  he  had,  for  once  Bastin  had  begun 
really  we  thought  that  he  was  going  to  die.  Somehow 
we  got  him  into  his  cabin,  which  opened  off  the  saloon, 
and  as  he  could  drink  nothing  more,  Bickley  managed 
to  inject  morphia  or  some  other  compound  into  him, 
which  made  him  insensible  for  a  long  while. 

"  He  must  be  in  a  poor  way,"  he  said,  "  for  the  needle 
went  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  into  him,  and  he 
never  cried  out  or  stirred.  Couldn't  help  it  in  that 
rolling." 

But  now  I  could  hear  the  engines  working,  and  I 
think  that  the  bow  of  the  vessel  was  got  head  on  to  the 
seas,  for  instead  of  rolling  we  pitched,  or  rather  the  ship 
stood  first  upon  one  end  and  then  upon  the  other.  This 
continued  for  a  while  until  the  first  burst  of  the  cyclone 
had  gone  by.  Then  suddenly  the  engines  stopped;  I 
suppose  that  they  had  broken  down,  but  I  never  learned, 
and  we  seemed  to  veer  about,  nearly  sinking  in  the 
process,  and  to  run  before  the  hurricane  at  terrific  speed. 

"  I  wonder  where  we  are  going  to?  "  I  said  to  Bickley. 

"  To  the  land  of  sleep,  Humphrey,  I  imagine,"  he 
replied  in  a  more  gentle  voice  than  I  had  often  heard 
him  use,  adding :  "  Good-bye,  old  boy,  we  have  been  real 
friends,  haven't  we,  notwithstanding  my  peculiarities? 
I  only  wish  that  I  could  think  that  there  was  anything 
in  Bastin' s  views.  But  I  can't,  I  can't  It's  good  night 
for  us  poor  creatures ! " 


CHAPTER  VI 

LAND 

AT  last  the  electric  light  really  went  out.  I  had  looked 
at  my  watch  just  before  this  happened  and  wound  it  up, 
which,  Bickley  remarked,  was  superfluous  and  a  waste 
of  energy.  It  then  marked  3.20  in  the  morning.  We  had 
wedged  Bastin,  who  was  now  snoring  comfortably,  into 
his  berth,  with  pillows,  and  managed  to  tie  a  cord  over 
him — no,  it  was  a  large  bath  towel,  fixing  one  end  of  it 
to  the  little  rack  over  his  bed  and  the  other  to  its  frame- 
work. As  for  ourselves,  we  lay  down  on  the  floor  be- 
tween the  table  legs,  which,  of  course,  were  screwed,  and 
the  settee,  protecting  ourselves  as  best  we  were  able  by 
help  of  the  cushions,  etc.,  between  two  of  which  we 
thrust  the  terrified  Tommy  who  had  been  sliding  up  and 
down  the  cabin  floor.  Thus  we  remained,  expecting 
death  every  moment  till  the  light  of  day,  a  very  dim 
light,  struggling  through  a  port-hole  of  which  the  iron 
cover  had  somehow  been  wrenched  off.  Or  perhaps  it 
was  never  shut,  I  do  not  remember. 

About  this  time  there  came  a  lull  in  the  hellish, 
howling  hurricane;  the  fact  being,  I  suppose,  that  we 
had  reached  the  centre  of  the  cyclone.  I  suggested  that 
we  should  try  to  go  on  deck  and  see  what  was  happening. 
So  we  started,  only  to  find  the  entrance  to  the  companion 
so  faithfully  secured  that  we  could  not  by  any 
means  get  out.  We  knocked  and  shouted,  but  no  one 
answered.  My  belief  is  that  at  this  time  everyone  on 

67 


68  When  the  World  Shook 

the  yacht  except  ourselves  had  been  washed  away  and 
drowned. 

Then  we  returned  to  the  saloon,  which,  except  for  a 
little  water  trickling  about  the  floor,  was  marvellously 
dry,  and,  being  hungry,  retrieved  some  bits  of  food  and 
buscuit  from  its  corners  and  ate.  At  this  moment  the 
cyclone  began  to  blow  again  worse  than  ever,  but  it 
seemed  to  us,  from  another  direction,  and  before  it  sped 
our  poor  derelict  barque.  It  blew  all  day  till  for  my  part 
I  grew  utterly  weary  and  even  longed  for  the  inevitable 
end.  If  my  views  were  not  quite  those  of  Bastin,  cer- 
tainly they  were  not  those  of  Bickley.  I  had  believed 
from  my  youth  up  that  the  individuality  of  man,  the 
ego,  so  to  speak,  does  not  die  when  life  goes  out  of 
his  poor  body,  and  this  faith  did  not  desert  me  then. 
Therefore,  I  wished  to  have  it  over  and  learn  what  there 
might  be  upon  the  other  side. 

We  could  not  speak  much  because  of  the  howling  of 
the  wind,  but  Bickley  did  manage  to  shout  to  me  some- 
thing to  the  effect  that  his  partners  would,  in  his 
opinion,  make  an  end  of  their  great  practice  within  two 
years,  which,  he  added,  was  a  pity.  I  nodded  my  head, 
not  caring  twopence  what  happened  to  Bickley's  part- 
ners or  their  business,  or  to  my  own  property,  or  to 
anything  else.  When  death  is  at  hand  most  of  us  do 
not  think  much  of  such  things  because  then  we  realise 
how  small  they  are.  Indeed  I  was  wondering  whether 
within  a  few  minutes  or  hours  I  should  or  should  not  see 
Natalie  again,  and  if  this  were  the  end  to  which  she  had 
seemed  to  beckon  me  in  that  dream. 

On  we  sped,  and  on.  About  four  in  the  afternoon 
we  heard  sounds  from  Bastin's  cabin  which  faintly 
reminded  me  of  some  tune.  I  crept  to  the  door  and 
listened.  Evidently  he  had  awakened  and  was  singing 


Land  69 

or  trying  to  sing,  for  music  was  not  one  of  his  strong 
points.  "  For  those  in  peril  on  the  sea."  Devoutly  did  I 
wish  that  it  might  be  heard.  Presently  it  ceased,  so  I 
suppose  he  went  to  sleep  again. 

The  darkness  gathered  once  more.  Then  of  a  sud- 
den something  fearful  happened.  There  were  stupendous 
noises  of  a  kind  I  had  never  heard;  there  were  convul- 
sions. It  seemed  to  us  that  the  ship  was  flung  right  up 
into  the  air  a  hundred  feet  or  more. 

"  Tidal  wave,  I  expect,"  shouted  Bickley. 

Almost  as  he  spoke  she  came  down  with  the  most 
appalling  crash  on  to  something  hard  and  nearly  jarred 
the  senses  out  of  us.  Next  the  saloon  was  whirling 
round  and  round  and  yet  being  carried  forward,  and  we 
felt  air  blowing  upon  us.  Then  our  senses  left  us.  As 
I  clasped  Tommy  to  my  side,  whimpering  and  licking 
my  face,  my  last  thought  was  that  all  was  over,  and  that 
presently  I  should  learn  everything  or  nothing. 

I  woke  up  feeling  very  bruised  and  sore  and  per- 
ceived that  light  was  flowing  into  the  saloon.  The  door 
was  still  shut,  but  it  had  been  wrenched  off  its  hinges, 
and  that  was  where  the  light  came  in;  also  some  of  the 
teak  planks  of  the  decking,  jagged  and  splintered,  were 
sticking  up  through  the  carpet.  The  table  had  broken 
from  its  fastenings  and  lay  upon  its  side.  Everything 
else  was  one  confusion.  I  looked  at  Bickley.  Apparently 
he  had  not  awakened.  He  was  stretched  out  still  wedged 
in  with  his  cushions  and  bleeding  from  a  wound  in  his 
head.  I  crept  to  him  in  terror  and  listened.  He  was  not 
dead,  for  his  breathing  was  regular  and  natural.  The 
whisky  bottle  which  had  been  corked  was  upon  the  floor 
unbroken  and  about  a  third  full.  I  took  a  good  pull  at 
the  spirit;  to  me  it  tasted  like  nectar  from  the  gods. 


70  When  the  World  Shook 

Then  I  tried  to  force  some  down  Bickley's  throat  but 
could  not,  so  I  poured  a  little  upon  the  cut  on  his  head. 
The  smart  of  it  woke  him  in  a  hurry. 

"  Where  are  we  now  ?  "  he  exclaimed.  "  You  don't 
mean  to  tell  me  that  Bastin  is  right  after  all  and  that  we 
live  again  somewhere  else  ?  Oh !  I  could  never  bear  that 
ignominy." 

"  I  don't  know  about  living  somewhere  else,"  I  said, 
"  although  my  opinions  on  that  matter  differ  from  yours. 
But  I  do  know  that  you  and  I  are  still  on  earth  in  what 
remains  of  the  saloon  of  the  Star  of  the  South." 

"  Thank  God  for  that !  Let's  go  and  look  for  old 
Bastin,"  said  Bickley.  "  I  do  pray  that  he  is  all  right 
also." 

"  It  is  most  illogical  of  you,  Bickley,  and  indeed 
wrong,"  groaned  a  deep  voice  from  the  other  side  of  the 
cabin  door,  "  to  thank  a  God  in  Whom  you  do  not  be- 
lieve, and  to  talk  of  praying  for  one  of  the  worst  and 
most  inefficient  of  His  servants  when  you  have  no  faith 
in  prayer." 

"  Got  you  there,  my  friend,"  I  said. 

Bickley  murmured  something  about  force  of  habit, 
and  looked  smaller  than  I  had  ever  seen  him  do  before. 

Somehow  we  forced  that  door  open;  it  was  not  easy 
because  it  had  jammed.  Within  the  cabin,  hanging  on 
either  side  of  the  bath  towel  which  had  stood  the  strain 
nobly,  something  like  a  damp  garment  over  a  linen  line, 
was  Bastin  most  of  whose  bunk  seemed  to  have  disap- 
peared. Yes — Bastin,  pale  and  dishevelled  and  looking 
shrunk,  with  his  hair  touzled  and  his  beard  apparently 
growing  all  ways,  but  still  Bastin  alive,  if  very  weak. 

Bickley  ran  at  him  and  made  a  cursory  examination 
with  his  fingers. 


Land  71 

"  Nothing  broken,"  he  said  triumphantly.  "  He's 
all  right." 

"If  you  had  hung  over  a  towel  for  many  hours  in 
most  violent  weather  you  would  not  say  that,"  groaned 
Bastin.  "  My  inside  is  a  pulp.  But  perhaps  you  would 
be  kind  enough  to  untie  me." 

"  Bosh !  "  said  Bickley  as  he  obeyed.  "  All  you  want 
is  something  to  eat.  Meanwhile,  drink  this,"  and  he 
handed  him  the  remains  of  the  whisky. 

Bastin  swallowed  it  every  drop,  murmuring  some- 
thing about  taking  a  little  wine  for  his  stomach's  sake, 
"  one  of  the  Pauline  injunctions,  you  know,"  after  which 
he  was  much  more  cheerful.  Then  we  hunted  about  and 
found  some  more  of  the  biscuits  and  other  food  with 
which  we  filled  ourselves  after  a  fashion. 

"  I  wonder  what  has  happened,"  said  Bastin.  "  I 
suppose  that,  thanks  to  the  skill  of  the  captain,  we  have 
after  all  reached  the  haven  where  we  would  be." 

Here  he  stopped,  rubbed  his  eyes  and  looked  towards 
the  saloon  door  which,  as  I  have  said,  had  been 
wrenched  off  its  hinges,  but  appeared  to  have  opened 
wider  than  when  I  observed  it  last.  Also  Tommy,  who 
was  recovering  his  spirits,  uttered  a  series  of  low  growls. 

"  It  is  a  most  curious  thing,"  he  went  on,  "  and  I  sup- 
pose I  must  be  suffering  from  hallucinations,  but  I  could 
swear  that  just  now  I  saw  looking  through  that  door  the 
same  improper  young  woman  clothed  in  a  few  flowers 
and  nothing  else,  whose  photograph  in  that  abominable 
and  libellous  book  was  indirectly  the  cause  of  our 
tempestuous  voyage." 

"  Indeed ! "  replied  Bickley.  "  Well,  so  long  as  she 
has  not  got  on  the  broken-down  stays  and  the  Salvation 
Army  bonnet  without  a  crown,  which  you  may  remem- 


72  When  the  World  Shook 

her  she  wore  after  she  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  your 
fraternity,  I  am  sure  I  do  not  mind.  In  fact  I  should  be 
delighted  to  see  anything  so  pleasant." 

At  this  moment  a  distinct  sound  of  female  tittering 
arose  from  beyond  the  door.  Tommy  barked  and 
Bickley  stepped  towards  it,  but  I  called  to  him. 

"  Look  out !  Where  there  are  women  there  are  sure 
to  be  men.  Let  us  be  ready  against  accidents." 

So  we  armed  ourselves  with  pistols,  that  is  Bickley 
and  I  did,  Bastin  being  fortified  solely  with  a  Bible. 

Then  we  advanced,  a  remarkable  and  dilapidated 
trio,  and  dragged  the  door  wide.  Instantly  there  was  a 
scurry  and  we  caught  sight  of  women's  forms  wearing 
only  flowers,  and  but  few  of  these,  running  over  white 
sand  towards  groups  of  men  armed  with  odd-looking 
clubs,  some  of  which  were  fashioned  to  the  shapes  of 
swords  and  spears.  To  make  an  impression  I  fired  two 
shots  with  my  revolver  into  the  air,  whereupon  both  men 
and  women  fled  into  groves  of  trees  and  vanished. 

"  They  don't  seem  to  be  accustomed  to  white  people," 
said  Bickley.  "  Is  it  possible  that  we  have  found  a  shore 
upon  which  no  missionary  has  set  a  foot?" 

"  I  hope  so,"  said  Bastin,  "  seeing  that  unworthy  as 
I  am,  then  the  opportunities  for  me  would  be  very 
great." 

We  stood  still  and  looked  about  us.  This  was  what 
we  saw.  All  the  after  part  of  the  ship  from  forward  of 
the  bridge  had  vanished  utterly;  there  was  not  a  trace 
of  it;  she  had  as  it  were  been  cut  in  two.  More,  we 
were  some  considerable  distance  from  the  sea  which  was 
still  raging  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away  where  great 
white  combers  struck  upon  a  reef  and  spouted  into  the 
air.  Behind  us  was  a  cliff,  apparently  of  rock  but 
covered  with  earth  and  vegetation,  and  against  this  cliff, 


Land  73 

in  which  the  prow  of  the  ship  was  buried,  she,  or  what 
remained  of  her,  had  come  to  anchor  for  the  last  time. 

"  You  see  what  has  happened,"  I  said.  "  A  great 
tidal  wave  has  carried  us  up  here  and  retreated." 

"That's  it,"  exclaimed  Bickley.  "Look  at  the 
debris,"  and  he  pointed  to  torn-up  palms,  bushes  and 
seaweed  piled  into  heaps  which  still  ran  salt  water;  also 
to  a  number  of  dead  fish  that  lay  about  among  them, 
adding,  "  Well,  we  are  saved  anyhow." 

"  And  yet  there  are  people  like  you  who  say  that 
there  is  no  Providence ! "  ejaculated  Bastin. 

"  I  wonder  what  the  views  of  Captain  Astley  and  the 
crew  are,  or  rather  were,  upon  that  matter,"  interrupted 
Bickley. 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Bastin,  looking  about  him 
vaguely.  "  It  is  true  that  I  can't  see  any  of  them,  but  if 
they  are  drowned  no  doubt  it  is  because  their  period  of 
usefulness  in  this  world  had  ended." 

"  Let's  get  down  and  look  about  us,"  I  remarked, 
being  anxious  to  avoid  further  argument. 

So  we  scrambled  from  the  remnant  of  the  ship,  like 
Noah  descending  out  of  the  ark,  as  Bastin  said,  on  to 
the  beach  beneath,  where  Tommy  rushed  to  and  fro, 
gambolling  for  joy.  Here  we  discovered  a  path  which 
ran  diagonally  up  the  side  of  a  cliff  which  was  nowhere 
more  than  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  possibly  had 
once  formed  the  shore  of  this  land,  or  perhaps  that  of  a 
lake.  Up  this  path  we  went,  following  the  tracks  of 
many  human  feet,  and  reaching  the  crest  of  the  cliff, 
looked  about  us,  basking  as  we  did  so  in  the  beautiful 
morning  sun,  for  the  sky  was  now  clear  of  clouds  and 
with  that  last  awful  effort,  which  destroyed  our  ship,  the 
cyclone  had  passed  away. 

We  were  standing  on  a  plain  down  which  ran  a  little 


74  When  the  World  Shook 

stream  of  good  water  whereof  Tommy  drank  greedily, 
we  following  his  example.  To  the  right  and  left  of  this 
plain,  further  than  we  could  see,  stretched  bushland  over 
which  towered  many  palms,  rather  ragged  now  because 
of  the  lashing  of  the  gale.  Looking  inland  we  perceived 
that  the  ground  sloped  gently  downwards,  ending  at  a 
distance  of  some  miles  in  a  large  lake.  Far  out  in  this 
lake  something  like  the  top  of  a  mountain  of  a  brown 
colour  rose  above  the  water,  and  on  the  edge  of  it  was 
what  from  that  distance  appeared  to  be  a  tumbled  ruin. 

"  This  is  all  very  interesting,"  I  said  to  Bickley. 
"  What  do  you  make  of  it?  " 

"  I  don't  quite  know.  At  first  sight  I  should  say  that 
we  are  standing  on  the  lip  of  a  crater  of  some  vast  ex- 
tinct volcano.  Look  how  it  curves  to  north  and  south 
and  at  the  slope  running  down  to  the  lake." 

I  nodded. 

"  Lucky  that  the  tidal  wave  did  not  get  over  the 
cliff,"  I  said.  "  If  it  had  the  people  here  would  have  all 
been  drowned  out.  I  wonder  where  they  have  gone  ?  " 

As  I  spoke  Bastin  pointed  to  the  edge  of  the  bush 
some  hundreds  of  yards  away,  where  we  perceived  brown 
figures  slipping  about  among  the  trees.  I  suggested 
that  we  should  go  back  to  the  mouth  of  our  path,  so  as 
to  have  a  line  of  retreat  open  in  case  of  necessity,  and 
await  events.  So  we  did  and  there  stood  still.  By  de- 
grees the  brown  figures  emerged  on  to  the  plain  to  the 
number  of  some  hundreds,  and  we  saw  that  they  were 
both  male  and  female.  The  women  were  clothed  in 
nothing  except  flowers  and  a  little  girdle;  the  men  were 
all  armed  with  wooden  weapons  and  also  wore  a  girdle 
but  no  flowers.  The  children,  of  whom  there  were 
many,  were  quite  naked. 

Among    these    people    we    observed    a    tall    person 


Land  75 

clothed  in  what  seemed  to  be  a  magnificent  feather  cloak, 
and,  walking  around  and  about  him,  a  number  of  gro- 
tesque forms  adorned  with  hideous  masks  and  basket- 
like  head-dresses  that  were  surmounted  by  plumes. 

"The  king  or  chief  and  his  priests  or  medicine-men! 
This  is  splendid,"  said  Bickley  triumphantly. 

Bastin  also  contemplated  them  with  enthusiasm  as 
raw  material  upon  which  he  hoped  to  get  to  work. 

By  degrees  and  very  cautiously  they  approached  us. 
To  our  joy,  we  perceived  that  behind  them  walked  sev- 
eral young  women  who  bore  wooden  trays  of  food  or 
fruit. 

"  That  looks  well,"  I  said.  "  They  would  not  make 
offerings  unless  they  were  friendly." 

"  The  food  may  be  poisoned,"  remarked  Bickley 
suspiciously. 

The  crowd  advanced,  we  standing  quite  still  looking 
as  dignified  as  we  could,  I  as  the  tallest  in  the  middle, 
with  Tommy  sitting  at  my  feet.  When  they  were  about 
five  and  twenty  yards  away,  however,  that  wretched 
little  dog  caught  sight  of  the  masked  priests.  He 
growled  and  then  rushed  at  them  barking,  his  long  black 
ears  flapping  as  he  went. 

The  effect  was  instantaneous.  One  and  all  they 
turned  and  fled  precipitately,  who  evidently  had  never 
before  seen  a  dog  and  looked  upon  it  as  a  deadly 
creature.  Yes,  even  the  tall  chief  and  his  masked 
medicine-men  fled  like  hares  pursued  by  Tommy,  who  bit 
one  of  them  in  the  leg,  evoking  a  terrific  howl.  I  called 
him  back  and  took  him  into  my  arms.  Seeing  that  he 
was  safe  for  a  while  the  crowd  re-formed  and  once  again 
advanced. 

As  they  came  we  noted  that  they  were  a  wonderfully 
handsome  people,  tall  and  straight  with  regularly  shaped 


76  When  the  World  Shook 

features  and  nothing  of  the  negro  about  them.  Some  of 
the  young  women  might  even  be  called  beautiful,  though 
those  who  were  elderly  had  become  corpulent.  The 
feather-clothed  chief,  however,  was  much  disfigured  by 
a  huge  growth  with  a  narrow  stalk  to  it  that  hung  from 
his  neck  and  rested  on  his  shoulder. 

"  I'll  have  that  off  him  before  he  is  a  week  older," 
said  Bickley,  surveying  this  deformity  with  great  pro- 
fessional interest. 

On  they  came,  the  girls  with  the  platters  walking 
ahead.  On  one  of  these  were  what  looked  like  joints  of 
baked  pork,  on  another  some  plantains  and  pear- 
shaped  fruits.  They  knelt  down  and  offered  these  to  us. 
We  contemplated  them  for  a  while.  Then  Bickley  shook 
his  head  and  began  to  rub  his  stomach  with  appropriate 
contortions.  Clearly  they  were  quick-minded  enough 
for  they  saw  the  point.  At  some  words  the  girls  brought 
the  platters  to  the  chief  and  others,  who  took  from  them 
portions  of  the  food  at  hazard  and  ate  them  to  show  that 
it  was  not  poisoned,  we  watching  their  throats  the  while 
to  make  sure  that  it  was  swallowed.  Then  they  re- 
turned again  and  we  took  some  of  the  food  though  only 
Bickley  ate,  because,  as  I  pointed  out  to  him,  being 
a  doctor  who  understood  the  use  of  antidotes,  clearly  he 
should  make  the  experiment.  However,  nothing  hap- 
pened; indeed  he  said  that  it  was  very  good. 

After  this  there  came  a  pause.  Then  suddenly 
Bastin  took  up  his  parable  in  the  Polynesian  tongue 
which — to  a  certain  extent — he  had  acquired  with  so 
much  pains. 

"  What  is  this  place  called  ? "  he  asked  slowly  and 
distinctly,  pausing  between  each  word. 

His  audience  shook  their  heads  and  he  tried  again, 


Land  77 

putting  the  accents  on  different  syllables.  Behold! 
some  bright  spirit  understood  him  and  answered : 

"  Orofena." 

"  That  means  a  hill,  or  an  island,  or  a  hill  in  an 
island,"  whispered  Bickley  to  me. 

"  Who  is  your  God  ?  "  asked  Bastin  again. 

The  point  seemed  one  upon  which  they  were  a  little 
doubtful,  but  at  last  the  chief  answered,  "  Oro.  He 
who  fights." 

"  In  other  words,  Mars,"  said  Bickley. 

"I  will  give  you  a  better  one,"  said  Bastin  in  the 
same  slow  fashion. 

Thinking  that  he  referred  to  himself  these  children 
of  Nature  contemplated  his  angular  form  doubtfully 
and  shook  their  heads.  Then  for  the  first  time  one  of 
the  men  who  was  wearing  a  mask  and  a  wicker  crate  on 
his  head,  spoke  in  a  hollow  voice,  saying: 

"  If  you  try  Oro  will  eat  you  up." 

"Head  priest!"  said  Bickley,  nudging  me.  "Old 
Bastin  had  better  be  careful  or  he  will  get  his  teeth  into 
him  and  call  them  Oro's." 

Another  pause,  after  which  the  man  in  a  feather 
cloak  with  the  growth  on  his  neck  that  a  servant  was 
supporting,  said: 

"  I  am  Marama,  the  chief  of  Orofena.  We  have 
never  seen  men  like  you  before,  if  you  are  men.  What 
brought  you  here  and  with  you  that  fierce  and  ter- 
rible animal,  or  evil  spirit  which  makes  a  noise  and 
bites?" 

Now  Bickley  pretended  to  consult  me  who  stood 
brooding  and  majestic,  that  is  if  I  can  be  majestic.  I 
whispered  something  and  he  answered : 

"  The  gods  of  the  wind  and  the  sea." 


78  When  the  World  Shook 

"  What  nonsense,"  ejaculated  Bastin,  "  there  are  no 
such  things." 

"  Shut  up,"  I  said,  "  we  must  use  similes  here,"  to 
which  he  replied : 

"  I  don't  like  similes  that  tamper  with  the  truth." 

"Remember  Neptune  and  Aeolus,"  I  suggested,  and 
he  lapsed  into  consideration  of  the  point. 

"  We  knew  that  you  were  coming,"  said  Marama. 
"  Our  doctors  told  us  all  about  you  a  moon  ago.  But 
we  wish  that  you  would  come  more  gently,  as  you  nearly 
washed  away  our  country." 

After  looking  at  me  Bickley  replied: 

"  How  thankful  should  you  be  that  in  our  kindness 
we  have  spared  you." 

"What  do  you  come  to  do?"  inquired  Marama 
again. 

After  the  usual  formula  of  consulting  me  Bickley 
answered : 

"We  come  to  take  that  mountain  (he  meant  lump) 
off  your  neck  and  make  you  beautiful;  also  to  cure  all 
the  sickness  among  your  people." 

"  And  I  come,"  broke  in  Bastin,  "  to  give  you  new 
hearts." 

These  announcements  evidently  caused  great  excite- 
ment. After  consultation  Marama  answered: 

"  We  do  not  want  new  hearts  as  the  old  ones  are 
good,  but  we  wish  to  be  rid  of  lumps  and  sicknesses.  If 
you  can  do  this  we  will  make  you  gods  and  worship  you 
and  give  you  many  wives."  (Here  Bastin  held  up  his 
hands  in  horror.)  "  When  will  you  begin  to  take  away 
the  lumps  ?  " 

"  To-morrow,"  said  Bickley.  "  But  learn  that  if  you 
try  to  harm  us  we  will  bring  another  wave  which  will 
drown  all  your  country." 


Land  79 

Nobody  seemed  to  doubt  our  capacities  in  this 
direction,  but  one  inquiring  spirit  in  a  wicker  crate  did 
ask  how  it  came  about  that  if  we  controlled  the  ocean  we 
had  arrived  in  half  a  canoe  instead  of  a  whole  one. 

Bickley  replied  to  the  effect  that  it  was  because  the 
gods  always  travelled  in  half -canoes  to  show  their  higher 
nature,  which  seemed  to  satisfy  everyone.  Then  we 
announced  that  we  had  seen  enough  of  them  for  that  day 
and  would  retire  to  think.  Meanwhile  we  should  be 
obliged  if  they  would  build  us  a  house  and  keep  us 
supplied  with  whatever  food  they  had. 

"  Do  the  gods  eat  ?  "  asked  the  sceptic  again. 

"  That  fellow  is  a  confounded  radical,"  I  whispered 
to  Bickley.  "  Tell  him  that  they  do  when  they  come  to 
Orofena." 

He  did  so,  whereon  the  chief  said : 

"  Would  the  gods  like  a  nice  young  girl  cooked  ?  " 

At  this  point  Bastin  retired  down  the  path,  realising 
that  he  had  to  do  with  cannibals.  We  said  that  we  pre- 
ferred to  look  at  the  girls  alive  and  would  meet  them 
again  to-morrow  morning,  when  we  hoped  that  the  house 
would  be  ready. 

So  our  first  interview  with  the  inhabitants  of  Orofena 
came  to  an  end,  on  which  we  congratulated  ourselves. 

On  reaching  the  remains  of  the  Star  of  the  South  we 
set  to  work  to  take  stock  of  what  was  left  to  us.  For- 
tunately it  proved  to  be  a  very  great  deal.  As  I  think  I 
mentioned,  all  the  passenger  part  of  the  yacht  lay  for- 
ward of  the  bridge,  just  in  front  of  which  the  vessel  had 
been  broken  in  two,  almost  as  cleanly  as  though  she 
were  severed  by  a  gigantic  knife.  Further  our  stores 
were  forward  and  practically  everything  else  that  be- 
longed to  us,  even  down  to  Bickley's  instruments  and 


8o  When  the  World  Shook 

medicines  and  Bastin' s  religious  works,  to  say  nothing 
of  a  great  quantity  of  tinned  food  and  groceries.  Lastly 
on  the  deck  above  the  saloon  had  stood  two  large  life- 
boats. Although  these  were  amply  secured  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  gale  one  of  them,  that  on  the  port  side, 
was  smashed  to  smithers;  probably  some  spar  had  fallen 
upon  it.  The  starboard  boat,  however,  remained  intact 
and  so  far  as  we  could  judge,  seaworthy,  although  the 
bulwarks  were  broken  by  the  waves. 

"There's  something  we  can  get  away  in  if  necessary," 
I  said. 

"Where  to?"  remarked  Bastin.  "We  don't  know 
where  we  are  or  if  there  is  any  other  land  within  a  thou- 
sand miles.  I  think  we  had  better  stop  here  as  Provi- 
dence seems  to  have  intended,  especially  when  there  is 
so  much  work  to  my  hand." 

"  Be  careful,"  answered  Bickley,  "  that  the  work  to 
your  hand  does  not  end  in  the  cutting  of  all  our  throats. 
It  is  an  awkward  thing  interfering  with  the  religion  of 
savages,  and  I  believe  that  these  untutored  children  of 
Nature  sometimes  eat  missionaries." 

"Yes,  I  have  heard  that,"  said  Bastin;  "they  bake 
them  first  as  they  do  pigs.  But  I  don't  know  that  they 
would  care  to  eat  me,"  and  he  glanced  at  his  bony 
limbs,  "  especially  when  you  are  much  plumper.  Any- 
how one  can't  stop  for  a  risk  of  that  sort." 

Deigning  no  reply,  Bickley  walked  away  to  fetch 
some  fine  fish  which  had  been  washed  up  by  the  tidal 
wave  and  were  still  flapping  about  in  a  little  pool  of  salt 
water.  Then  we  took  counsel  as  to  how  to  make  the  best 
of  our  circumstances,  and  as  a  result  set  to  work  to  tidy 
up  the  saloon  and  cabins,  which  was  not  difficult  as  what 
remained  of  the  ship  lay  on  an  even  keel.  Also  we  got 
out  some  necessary  stores,  including  paraffin  for  the 


Land  81 

swinging  lamps  with  which  the  ship  was  fitted  in  case  of 
accident  to  the  electric  light,  candles,  and  the  guns  we 
had  brought  with  us  so  that  they  might  be  handy  in  the 
event  of  attack.  This  done,  by  the  aid  of  the  tools  that 
were  in  the  storerooms,  Bickley,  who  was  an  excellent 
carpenter,  repaired  the  saloon  door,  all  that  was  neces- 
sary to  keep  us  private,  as  the  bulkhead  still  remained. 

"  Now,"  he  said  triumphantly  when  he  had  finished 
and  got  the  lock  and  bolts  to  work  to  his  satisfaction, 
"  we  can  stand  a  siege  if  needed,  for  as  the  ship  is  iron 
built  they  can't  even  burn  us  out  and  that  teak  door 
would  take  some  forcing.  Also  we  can  shore  it  up." 

"  How  about  something  to  eat  ?  I  want  my  tea," 
said  Bastin. 

"  Then,  my  reverend  friend,"  replied  Bickley,  "  take 
a  couple  of  the  fire  buckets  and  fetch  some  water  from 
the  stream.  Also  collect  driftwood  of  which  there  is 
plenty  about,  clean  those  fish  and  grill  them  over  the 
saloon  stove." 

"  I'll  try,"  said  Bastin,  "  but  I  never  did  any  cooking 
before." 

"  No,"  replied  Bickley,  "  on  second  thoughts  I  will 
see  to  that  myself,  but  you  can  get  the  fish  ready." 

So,  with  due  precautions,  Bastin  and  I  fetched 
water  from  the  stream  which  we  found  flowed  over 
the  edge  of  the  cliff  quite  close  at  hand  into  a  beautiful 
coral  basin  that  might  have  been  designed  for  a  bath  of 
the  nymphs.  Indeed  one  at  a  time,  while  the  other 
watched,  we  undressed  and  plunged  into  it,  and  never 
was  a  tub  more  welcome  than  after  our  long  days  of 
tempest.  Then  we  returned  to  find  that  Bickley  had 
already  set  the  table  and  was  engaged  in  frying  the  fish 
very  skilfully  on  the  saloon  stove,  which  proved  to  be 
well  adapted  to  the  purpose.  He  was  cross,  however, 


82  When  the  World  Shook 

when  he  found  that  we  had  bathed  and  that  it  was  now 
too  late  for  him  to  do  likewise. 

While  he  was  cleaning  himself  as  well  as  he  could  in 
his  cabin  basin  and  Bastin  was  boiling  the  water  for  tea, 
suddenly  I  remembered  the  letter  from  the  Danish  mate 
Jacobsen.  Concluding  that  it  might  now  be  opened  as 
we  had  certainly  parted  with  most  of  the  Star  of  the 
South  for  the  last  time,  I  read  it.  It  was  as  follows : 

"  The  reason,  honoured  Sir,  that  I  am  leaving  the 
ship  is  that  on  the  night  I  tore  up  the  paper,  the  spirit 
controlling  the  planchette  wrote  these  words :  '  After 
leaving  Samoa  the  Star  of  the  South  will  be  wrecked 
in  a  hurricane  and  everybody  on  board  drowned  except 
A.  B.  and  B.  Get  out  of  her !  Get  out  of  her !  Don't 
be  a  fool,  Jacob,  unless  you  want  to  come  over  here 
at  once.  Take  our  advice  and  get  out  of  her  and  you 
will  live  to  be  old. — SKOLL/ 

"  Sir,  I  am  not  a  coward  but  I  know  that  this  will 
happen,  for  that  spirit  which  signs  itself  Skoll  never 
tells  a  lie.  I  did  try  to  give  the  captain  a  hint  to  stop 
at  Apia,  but  he  had  been  drinking  and  openly  cursed 
me  and  called  me  a  sneaking  cheat.  So  I  am  going  to 
run  away,  of  which  I  am  very  much  ashamed.  But  I 
do  not  wish  to  be  drowned  yet  as  there  is  a  girl  whom 
I  want  to  marry,  and  my  mother  I  support.  You  will 
be  safe  and  I  hope  you  will  not  think  too  badly  of 
me. — JACOB  JACOBSEN. 

"  P.S. — It  is  an  awful  thing  to  know  the  future. 
Never  try  to  learn  that." 

I  gave  this  letter  to  Bastin  and  Bickley  to  read  and 
asked  them  what  they  thought  of  it. 


Land  83 

"  Coincidence,"  said  Bickley.  "  The  man  is  a  weak- 
minded  idiot  and  heard  in  Samoa  that  they  expected  a 
hurricane." 

"  I  think,"  chimed  in  Bastin,  "  that  the  devil  knows 
how  to  look  after  his  own  at  any  rate  for  a  little  while. 
I  dare  say  it  would  have  been  much  better  for  him  to  be 
drowned." 

"  At  least  he  is  a  deserter  and  failed  in  his  duty.  I 
never  wish  to  hear  of  him  again,"  I  said. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  I  never  have.  But  the  incident 
remains  quite  unexplained  either  by  Bickley  or  Bastin. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   OROFENANS 

To  our  shame  we  had  a  very  pleasant  supper  that  night 
off  the  grilled  fish,  which  was  excellent,  and  some  tinned 
meat.  I  say  to  our  shame,  in  a  sense,  for  on  our 
companions  the  sharks  were  supping  and  by  rights  we 
should  have  been  sunk  in  woe.  I  suppose  that  the  sense 
of  our  own  escape  intoxicated  us.  Also,  notwithstanding 
his  joviality,  none  of  us  had  cared  much  for  the 
captain,  and  his  policy  had  been  to  keep  us  somewhat 
apart  from  the  crew,  of  whom  therefore  we  knew  but 
little.  It  is  true  that  Bastin  held  services  on  Sundays,  for 
such  as  would  attend,  and  Bickley  had  doctored  a  few  of 
them  for  minor  ailments,  but  there,  except  for  a  little 
casual  conversation,  our  intercourse  began  and  ended. 

Now  the  sad  fact  is  that  it  is  hard  to  be  overwhelmed 
with  grief  for  those  with  whom  we  are  not  intimate.  We 
were  very  sorry  and  that  is  all  that  can  be  said,  except 
that  Bastin,  being  High  Church,  announced  in  a  matter- 
of-fact  way  that  he  meant  to  put  up  some  petitions  for 
the  welfare  of  their  souls.  To  this  Bickley  retorted  that 
from  what  he  had  seen  of  their  bodies  he  was  sure  they 
needed  them. 

Yes,  it  was  a  pleasant  supper,  not  made  less  so  by  a 
bottle  of  champagne  which  Bickley  and  I  shared.  Bastin 
stuck  to  his  tea,  not  because  he  did  not  like  champagne, 
but  because,  as  he  explained,  having  now  come  in  con- 
tact with  the  heathen  it  would  never  do  for  him  to  set 
them  an  example  in  the  use  of  spirituous  liquors. 

84 


The  Orofenans  85 

"  However  much  we  may  differ,  Bastin,  I  respect  you 
for  that  sentiment,"  commented  Bickley. 

"I  don't  know  why  you  should,"  answered  Bastin; 
"  but  if  so,  you  might  follow  my  example." 

That  night  we  slept  like  logs,  trusting  to  our  teak  door 
which  we  barricaded,  and  to  Tommy,  who  was  a  most 
excellent  watch-dog,  to  guard  us  against  surprise.  At 
any  rate  we  took  the  risk.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  nothing 
happened,  though  before  dawn  Tommy  did  growl  a  good 
deal,  for  I  heard  him,  but  as  he  sank  into  slumber  again 
on  my  bed,  I  did  not  get  up.  In  the  morning  I  found 
from  fresh  footprints  that  two  or  three  men  had  been 
prowling  about  the  ship,  though  at  a  little  distance. 

We  rose  early,  and  taking  the  necessary  precautions, 
bathed  in  the  pool.  Then  we  breakfasted,  and  having 
filled  every  available  receptacle  with  water,  which  took 
us  a  long  time  as  these  included  a  large  tank  that  sup- 
plied the  bath,  so  that  we  might  have  at  least  a  week's 
supply  in  case  of  siege,  we  went  on  deck  and  debated 
what  we  should  do.  In  the  end  we  determined  to  stop 
where  we  were  and  await  events,  because,  as  I  pointed 
out,  it  was  necessary  that  we  should  discover  whether 
these  natives  were  hostile  or  friendly.  In  the  former 
event  we  could  hold  our  own  on  the  ship,  whereas  away 
from  it  we  must  be  overwhelmed ;  in  the  latter  there  was 
always  time  to  move  inland. 

About  ten  o'clock  when  we  were  seated  on  stools 
smoking,  with  our  guns  by  our  side — for  here,  owing  to 
the  overhanging  cliff  in  which  it  will  be  remembered  the 
prow  of  the  ship  was  buried,  we  could  not  be  reached  by 
missiles  thrown  from  above — we  saw  numbers  of  the 
islanders  advancing  upon  us  along  the  beach  on  either 
side.  They  were  preceded  as  before  by  women  who  bore 
food  on  platters  and  in  baskets.  These  people,  all  talk- 


86  When  the  World  Shook 

ing  excitedly  and  laughing  after  their  fashion,  stopped 
at  a  distance,  so  we  took  no  notice  of  them.  Presently 
Marama,  clad  in  his  feather  cloak,  and  again  accom- 
panied by  priests  or  medicine-men,  appeared  walking 
down  the  path  on  the  cliff  face,  and,  standing  below, 
made  salutations  and  entered  into  a  conversation  with  us 
of  which  I  give  the  substance — that  is,  so  far  as  we  could 
understand  it. 

He  reproached  us  for  not  having  come  to  him  as  he 
expected  we  would  do.  We  replied  that  we  preferred  to 
remain  where  we  were  until  we  were  sure  of  our  greeting 
and  asked  him  what  was  the  position.  He  explained  that 
only  once  before,  in  the  time  of  his  grandfather,  had  any 
people  reached  their  shores,  also  during  a  great  storm  as 
we  had  done.  They  were  dark-skinned  men  like  them- 
selves, three  of  them,  but  whence  they  came  was  never 
known,  since  they  were  at  once  seized  and  sacrificed  to 
the  god  Oro,  which  was  the  right  thing  to  do  in  such  a 
case. 

We  asked  whether  he  would  consider  it  right  to 
sacrifice  us.  He  replied: 

Certainly,  unless  we  were  too  strong,  being  gods 
ourselves,  or  unless  an  arrangement  could  be  concluded. 
We  asked — what  arrangement  ?  He  replied  that  we  must 
make  them  gifts;  also  that  we  must  do  what  we  had 
promised  and  cure  him — the  chief — of  the  disease  which 
had  tormented  him  for  years.  In  that  event  everything 
would  be  at  our  disposal  and  we,  with  all  our  belongings, 
should  become  taboo,  holy,  not  to  be  touched.  None 
would  attempt  to  harm  us,  nothing  should  be  stolen 
under  penalty  of  death. 

We  asked  him  to  come  up  on  the  deck  with  only 
one  companion  that  his  sickness  might  be  ascertained, 
and  after  much  hesitation  he  consented  to  do  so.  Bickley 


The  Orofenans  87 

made  an  examination  of  the  growth  and  announced  that 
he  believed  it  could  be  removed  with  perfect  safety  as 
the  attachment  to  the  neck  was  very  slight,  but  of  course 
there  was  always  a  risk.  This  was  explained  to  him 
with  difficulty,  and  much  talk  followed  between  him  and 
his  followers  who  gathered  on  the  beach  beneath  the 
ship.  They  seemed  adverse  to  the  experiment,  till 
Marama  grew  furious  with  them  and  at  last  burst  into 
tears  saying  that  he  could  no  longer  drag  this  terrible 
burden  about  with  him,  and  he  touched  the  growth.  He 
would  rather  die.  Then  they  gave  way. 

I  will  tell  the  rest  as  shortly  as  I  can. 

A  hideous  wooden  idol  was  brought  on  board, 
wrapped  in  leaves  and  feathers,  and  upon  it  the  chief 
and  his  head  people  swore  safety  to  us  whether  he  lived 
or  died,  making  us  the  guests  of  their  land.  There  were, 
however,  two  provisos  made,  or  as  such  we  understood 
them.  These  seemed  to  be  that  we  should  offer  no  insult 
or  injury  to  their  god,  and  secondly,  that  we  should  not 
set  foot  on  the  island  in  the  lake.  It  was  not  till  after- 
wards that  it  occurred  to  me  that  this  must  refer  to  the 
mountain  top  which  appeared  in  the  inland  sheet  of 
water.  To  those  stipulations  we  made  no  answer.  In- 
deed, the  Orofenans  did  all  the  talking.  Finally,  they 
ratified  their  oaths  by  a  man  who,  I  suppose,  was  a  head 
priest,  cutting  his  arm  and  rubbing  the  blood  from  it 
on  the  lips  of  the  idol;  also  upon  those  of  the  chief.  I 
should  add  that  Bastin  had  retired  as  soon  as  he  saw 
that  false  god  appear,  of  which  I  was  glad,  since  I  felt 
sure  that  he  would  make  a  scene. 

The  operation  took  place  that  afternoon  and  on  the 
ship,  for  when  once  Marama  had  made  up  his  mind  to 
trust  us  he  did  so  very  thoroughly.  It  was  performed 
on  deck  in  the  presence  of  an  awed  multitude  who 


88  When  the  World  Shook 

watched  from  the  shore,  and  when  they  saw  Bickley 
appear  in  a  clean  nightshirt  and  wash  his  hands,  uttered 
a  groan  of  wonder.  Evidently  they  considered  it  a 
magical  and  religious  ceremony;  indeed  ever  afterwards 
they  called  Bickley  the  Great  Priest,  or  sometimes  the 
Great  Healer  in  later  days.  This  was  a  grievance  to 
Bastin  who  considered  that  he  had  been  robbed  of  his 
proper  title,  especially  when  he  learned  that  among 
themselves  he  was  only  known  as  "  the  Bellower,"  be- 
cause of  the  loud  voice  in  which  he  addressed  them. 
Nor  did  Bickley  particularly  appreciate  the  compliment. 

With  my  help  he  administered  the  chloroform,  which 
was  done  under  shelter  of  a  sail  for  fear  lest  the  people 
should  think  that  we  were  smothering  their  chief.  Then 
the  operation  went  on  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion.  I 
omit  the  details,  but  an  electric  battery  and  a  red-hot 
wire  came  into  play. 

"  There,"  said  Bickley  triumphantly  when  he  had 
finished  tying  the  vessels  and  made  everything  neat  and 
tidy  with  bandages,  "  I  was  afraid  he  might  bleed  to 
death,  but  I  don't  think  there  is  any  fear  of  that  now, 
for  I  have  made  a  real  job  of  it."  Then  advancing  with 
the  horrid  tumour  in  his  hands  he  showed  it  in  triumph 
to  the  crowd  beneath,  who  groaned  again  and  threw 
themselves  on  to  their  faces.  Doubtless  now  it  is  the 
most  sacred  relic  of  Orofena. 

When  Marama  came  out  of  the  anaesthetic,  Bickley 
gave  him  something  which  sent  him  to  sleep  for  twelve 
hours,  during  all  which  time  his  people  waited  beneath. 
This  was  our  dangerous  period,  for  our  difficulty  was  to 
persuade  them  that  he  was  not  dead,  although  Bickley 
had  assured  them  that  he  would  sleep  for  a  time  while 
the  magic  worked.  Still,  I  was  very  glad  when  he  woke 


The  Orofenans  89 

up  on  the  following  morning,  and  two  or  three  of  his 
leading  men  could  see  that  he  was  alive.  The  rest  was 
lengthy  but  simple,  consisting  merely  in  keeping  him 
quiet  and  on  a  suitable  diet  until  there  was  no  fear  of 
the  wound  opening.  We  achieved  it  somehow  with  the 
help  of  an  intelligent  native  woman  who,  I  suppose,  was 
one  of  his  wives,  and  five  days  later  were  enabled  to 
present  him  healed,  though  rather  tottery,  to  his  affec- 
tionate subjects. 

It  was  a  great  scene,  which  may  be  imagined.  They 
bore  him  away  in  a  litter  with  the  native  woman  to 
watch  him  and  another  to  carry  the  relic  preserved  in  a 
basket,  and  us  they  acclaimed  as  gods.  Thenceforward 
we  had  nothing  to  fear  in  Orofena — except  Bastin, 
though  this  we  did  not  know  at  the  time. 

All  this  while  we  had  been  living  on  our  ship  and 
growing  very  bored  there,  although  we  employed  the 
empty  hours  in  conversation  with  selected  natives, 
thereby  improving  our  knowledge  of  the  language. 
Bickley  had  the  best  of  it,  since  already  patients  began 
to  arrive  which  occupied  him.  One  of  the  first  was  that 
man  whom  Tommy  had  bitten.  He  was  carried  to  us  in 
an  almost  comatose  state,  suffering  apparently  from  the 
symptoms  of  snake  poisoning. 

Afterwards  it  turned  out  that  he  conceived  Tommy 
to  be  a  divine  but  most  venomous  lizard  that  could  make 
a  very  horrible  noise,  and  began  to  suffer  as  one  might 
do  from  the  bite  of  such  a  creature.  Nothing  that 
Bickley  could  do  was  enough  to  save  him  and  ultimately 
he  died  in  convulsions,  a  circumstance  that  enormously 
enhanced  Tommy's  reputation.  To  tell  the  truth,  we 
took  advantage  of  it  to  explain  that  Tommy  was  in  fact 
a  supernatural  animal,  a  sort  of  tame  demon  which  only 


90  When  the  World  Shook 

harmed  people  who  had  malevolent  intentions  towards 
those  he  served  or  who  tried  to  steal  any  of  their 
possessions  or  to  intrude  upon  them  at  inconvenient 
hours,  especially  in  the  dark.  So  terrible  was  he,  indeed, 
that  even  the  skill  of  the  Great  Priest,  i.e.,  Bickley,  could 
not  avail  to  save  any  whom  once  he  had  bitten  in  his 
rage.  Even  to  be  barked  at  by  him  was  dangerous  and 
conveyed  a  curse  that  might  last  for  generations. 

All  this  we  set  out  when  Bastin  was  not  there.  He 
had  wandered  off,  as  he  said,  to  look  for  shells,  but  as 
we  knew,  to  practise  religious  orations  in  the  Polynesian 
tongue  with  the  waves  for  audience,  as  Demosthenes  is 
said  to  have  done  to  perfect  himself  as  a  political  orator. 
Personally  I  admit  that  I  relied  more  on  the  terrors  of 
Tommy  to  safeguard  us  from  theft  and  other  troubles 
than  I  did  upon  those  of  the  native  taboo  and  the 
priestly  oaths. 

The  end  of  it  all  was  that  we  left  our  ship,  having 
padlocked  up  the  door  (the  padlock,  we  explained,  was 
a  magical  instrument  that  bit  worse  than  Tommy),  and 
moved  inland  in  a  kind  of  triumphal  procession,  priests 
and  singers  going  before  (the  Orofenans  sang  extremely 
well)  and  minstrels  following  after  playing  upon  instru- 
ments like  flutes,  while  behind  came  the  bearers  carry- 
ing such  goods  as  we  needed.  They  took  us  to  a  beauti- 
ful place  in  a  grove  of  palms  on  a  ridge  where  grew 
many  breadfruit  trees,  that  commanded  a  view  of  the 
ocean  upon  one  side  and  of  the  lake  with  the  strange 
brown  mountain  top  on  the  other.  Here  in  the  midst 
of  the  native  gardens  we  found  that  a  fine  house  had 
been  built  for  us  of  a  kind  of  mud  brick  and  thatched 
with  palm  leaves,  surrounded  by  a  fenced  courtyard  of 
beaten  earth  and  having  wide  overhanging  verandahs; 
a  very  comfortable  place  indeed  in  that  delicious  climate. 


The  Orofenans  91 

In  it  we  took  up  our  abode,  visiting  the  ship  occasionally 
to  see  that  all  was  well  there,  and  awaiting  events. 

For  Bickley  these  soon  began  to  happen  in  the  shape 
of  an  ever-increasing  stream  of  patients.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  island  was  considerable,  anything  between 
five  and  ten  thousand,  so  far  as  we  could  judge,  and 
among  these  of  course  there  were  a  number  of  sick. 
Ophthalmia,  for  instance,  was  a  prevalent  disease,  as 
were  the  growths  such  as  Marama  had  suffered  from,  to 
say  nothing  of  surgical  cases  and  those  resulting  from 
accident  or  from  nervous  ailments.  With  all  of  these 
Bickley  was  called  upon  to  deal,  which  he  did  with  re- 
markable success  by  help  of  his  books  on  Tropical 
Diseases  and  his  ample  supplies  of  medical  necessaries. 

At  first  he  enjoyed  it  very  much,  but  when  we  had 
been  established  in  the  house  for  about  three  weeks  he 
remarked,  after  putting  in  a  solid  ten  hours  of  work, 
that  for  all  the  holiday  he  was  getting  he  might  as  well 
be  back  at  his  old  practice,  with  the  difference  that  there 
he  was  earning  several  thousands  a  year.  Just  then  a 
poor  woman  arrived  with  a  baby  in  convulsions  to  whose 
necessities  he  was  obliged  to  sacrifice  his  supper,  after 
which  came  a  man  who  had  fallen  from  a  palm  tree  and 
broken  his  leg. 

Nor  did  I  escape,  since  having  somehow  or  other 
established  a  reputation  for  wisdom,  as  soon  as  I  had 
mastered  sufficient  of  the  language,  every  kind  of  knotty 
case  was  laid  before  me  for  decision.  In  short,  I  became 
a  sort  of  Chief  Justice — not  an  easy  office  as  it  involved 
the  acquirement  of  the  native  law  which  was  intricate 
and  peculiar,  especially  in  matrimonial  cases. 

At  these  oppressive  activities  Bastin  looked  on  with 
a  gloomy  eye. 

"  You  fellows  seem  very  busy,"  he  said  one  evening; 


92  When  the  World  Shook 

"  but  I  can  find  nothing  to  do.  They  don't  seem  to  want 
me,  and  merely  to  set  a  good  example  by  drinking  water 
or  tea  while  you  swallow  whisky  and  their  palm  wine, 
or  whatever  it  is,  is  very  negative  kind  of  work,  espe- 
cially as  I  am  getting  tired  of  planting  things  in  the 
garden  and  playing  policeman  round  the  wreck  which 
nobody  goes  near.  Even  Tommy  is  better  off,  for  at 
least  he  can  bark  and  hunt  rats." 

"  You  see,"  said  Bickley,  "  we  are  following  our 
trades.  Arbuthnot  is  a  lawyer  and  acts  as  a  judge.  I 
am  a  surgeon  and  I  may  add  a  general — a  very  general 
— practitioner  and  work  at  medicine  in  an  enormous 
and  much-neglected  practice.  Therefore,  you,  being  a 
clergyman,  should  go  and  do  likewise.  There  are  some 
ten  thousand  people  here,  but  I  do  not  observe  that  as 
yet  you  have  converted  a  single  one." 

Thus  spoke  Bickley  in  a  light  and  unguarded 
moment  with  his  usual  object  of  what  is  known  as 
"  getting  a  rise "  out  of  Bastin.  Little  did  he  guess 
what  he  was  doing. 

Bastin  thought  a  while  ponderously,  then  said: 

"  It  is  very  strange  from  what  peculiar  sources  Provi- 
dence sometimes  sends  inspirations.  If  wisdom  flows 
from  babes  and  sucklings,  why  should  it  not  do  so  from 
the  well  of  agnostics  and  mockers?  " 

"  There  is  no  reason  which  I  can  see,"  scoffed  Bick- 
ley, "  except  that  as  a  rule  wells  do  not  flow." 

"  Your  jest  is  ill-timed  and  I  may  add  foolish,"  con- 
tinued Bastin.  "  What  I  was  about  to  add  was  that  you 
have  given  me  an  idea,  as  it  was  no  doubt  intended  that 
you  should  do.  I  will,  metaphorically  speaking,  gird 
up  my  loins  and  try  to  bear  the  light  into  all  this  heathen 
blackness." 


The  Orofenans  93 

"  Then  it  is  one  of  the  first  you  ever  had,  old  fellow. 
But  what's  the  need  of  girding  up  your  loins  in  this  hot 
climate  ?  "  inquired  Bickley  with  innocence.  "  Pyjamas 
and  that  white  and  green  umbrella  of  yours  would  do 
just  as  well." 

Bastin  vouchsafed  no  reply  and  sat  for  the  rest  of 
that  evening  plunged  in  deep  thought. 

On  the  following  morning  he  approached  Marama 
and  asked  his  leave  to  teach  the  people  about  the  gods. 
The  chief  readily  granted  this,  thinking,  I  believe,  that 
he  alluded  to  ourselves,  and  orders  were  issued  accord- 
ingly. They  were  to  the  effect  that  Bastin  was  to  be 
allowed  to  go  everywhere  unmolested  and  to  talk  to 
whom  he  would  about  what  he  would,  to  which  all  must 
listen  with  respect. 

Thus  he  began  his  missionary  career  in  Orofena, 
working  at  it,  good  and  earnest  man  that  he  was,  in  a 
way  that  excited  even  the  admiration  of  Bickley.  He 
started  a  school  for  children,  which  was  held  under  a 
fine,  spreading  tree.  These  listened  well,  and  being  of 
exceedingly  quick  intellect  soon  began  to  pick  up  the 
elements  of  knowledge.  But  when  he  tried  to  persuade 
them  to  clothe  their  little  naked  bodies  his  failure  was 
complete,  although  after  much  supplication  some  of  the 
bigger  girls  did  arrive  with  a  chaplet  of  flowers — round 
their  necks! 

Also  he  preached  to  the  adults,  and  here  again  was 
very  successful  in  a  way,  especially  after  he  became 
more  familiar  with  the  language.  They  listened;  to  a 
certain  extent  they  understood;  they  argued  and  put  to 
poor  Bastin  the  most  awful  questions  such  as  the  whole 
Bench  of  Bishops  could  not  have  answered.  Still  he 
did  answer  them  somehow,  and  they  politely  accepted 


94  When  the  World  Shook 

his  interpretation  of  their  theological  riddles.  I  ob- 
served that  he  got  on  best  when  he  was  telling  them 
stories  out  of  the  Old  Testament,  such  as  the  account  of 
the  creation  of  the  world  and  of  human  beings,  also  of 
the  Deluge,  etc.  Indeed  one  of  their  elders  said — Yes, 
this  was  quite  true.  They  had  heard  it  all  before  from 
their  fathers,  and  that  once  the  Deluge  had  taken  place 
round  Orofena,  swallowing  up  great  countries,  but 
sparing  them  because  they  were  so  good. 

Bastin,  surprised,  asked  them  who  had  caused  the 
deluge.  They  replied,  Oro  which  was  the  name  of  their 
god,  Oro  who  dwelt  yonder  on  the  mountain  in  the  lake, 
and  whose  representation  they  worshipped  in  idols.  He 
said  that  God  dwelt  in  Heaven,  to  which  they  replied 
with  calm  certainty: 

"  No,  no,  he  dwells  on  the  mountain  in  the  lake," 
which  was  why  they  never  dared  to  approach  that 
mountain. 

Indeed  it  was  only  by  giving  the  name  Oro  to  the 
Divinity  and  admitting  that  He  might  dwell  in  the 
mountain  as  well  as  everywhere  else,  that  Bastin  was 
able  to  make  progress.  Having  conceded  this,  not 
without  scruples,  however,  he  did  make  considerable 
progress,  so  much,  in  fact,  that  I  perceived  that  the 
priests  of  Oro  were  beginning  to  grow  very  jealous  of 
him  and  of  his  increasing  authority  with  the  people. 
Bastin  was  naturally  triumphant,  and  even  exclaimed 
exultingly  that  within  a  year  he  would  have  half  of  the 
population  baptised. 

"  Within  a  year,  my  dear  fellow,"  said  Bickley,  "  you 
will  have  your  throat  cut  as  a  sacrifice,  and  probably 
ours  also.  It  is  a  pity,  too,  as  within  that  time  I  should 
have  stamped  out  ophthalmia  and  some  other  diseases 
in  the  island." 


The  Orofenans  95 

Here,  leaving  Bastin  and  his  good  work  aside  for  a 
while,  I  will  say  a  little  about  the  country.  From  in- 
formation which  I  gathered  on  some  journeys  that  I 
made  and  by  inquiries  from  the  chief  Marama,  who  had 
become  devoted  to  us,  I  found  that  Orofena  was  quite  a 
large  place.  In  shape  the  island  was  circular,  a  broad 
band  of  territory  surrounding  the  great  lake  of  which  I 
have  spoken,  that  in  its  turn  surrounded  a  smaller  island 
from  which  rose  the  mountain  top.  No  other  land  was 
known  to  be  near  the  shores  of  Orofena,  which  had 
never  been  visited  by  anyone  except  the  strangers  a  hun- 
dred years  ago  or  so,  who  were  sacrificed  and  eaten. 
Most  of  the  island  was  covered  with  forest  which  the 
inhabitants  lacked  the  energy,  and  indeed  had  no  tools, 
to  fell.  They  were  an  extremely  lazy  people  and  would 
only  cultivate  enough  bananas  and  other  food  to  satisfy 
their  immediate  needs.  In  truth  they  lived  mostly  upon 
breadfruit  and  other  products  of  the  wild  trees. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  in  years  of  scarcity  through 
drought  or  climatic  causes,  which  prevented  the  forest 
trees  from  bearing,  they  suffered  very  much  from  hun- 
ger. In  such  years  hundreds  of  them  would  perish  and 
the  remainder  resorted  to  the  dreadful  expedient  of  can- 
nibalism. Sometimes,  too,  the  shoals  of  fish  avoided 
their  shores,  reducing  them  to  great  misery.  Their  only 
domestic  animal  was  the  pig  which  roamed  about  half 
wild  and  in  no  great  numbers,  for  they  had  never  taken 
the  trouble  to  breed  it  in  captivity.  Their  resources, 
therefore,  were  limited,  which  accounted  for  the  com- 
parative smallness  of  the  population,  further  reduced  as 
it  was  by  a  wicked  habit  of  infanticide  practised  in  order 
to  lighten  the  burden  of  bringing  up  children. 

They  had  no  traditions  as  to  how  they  reached  this 
land,  their  belief  being  that  they  had  always  been  there 


96  When  the  World  Shook 

but  that  their  forefathers  were  much  greater  than  they. 
They  were  poetical,  and  sang  songs  in  a  language  which 
themselves  they  could  not  understand;  they  said  that  it 
was  the  tongue  their  forefathers  had  spoken.  Also  they 
had  several  strange  customs  of  which  they  did  not  know 
the  origin.  My  own  opinion,  which  Bickley  shared,  was 
that  they  were  in  fact  a  shrunken  and  deteriorated  rem- 
nant of  some  high  race  now  coming  to  its  end  through 
age  and  inter-breeding.  About  them  indeed,  notwith- 
standing their  primitive  savagery  which  in  its  qualities 
much  resembled  that  of  other  Polynesians,  there  was  a 
very  curious  air  of  antiquity.  One  felt  that  they  had 
known  the  older  world  and  its  mysteries,  though  now 
both  were  forgotten.  Also  their  language,  which  in 
time  we  came  to  speak  perfectly,  was  copious,  musical, 
and  expressive  in  its  idioms. 

One  circumstance  I  must  mention.  In  walking  about 
the  country  I  observed  all  over  it  enormous  holes,  some 
of  them  measuring  as  much  as  a  hundred  yards  across, 
with  a  depth  of  fifty  feet  or  more,  and  this  not  on  alluvial 
lands  although  there  traces  of  them  existed  also,  but  in 
solid  rock.  What  this  rock  was  I  do  not  know  as  none 
of  us  were  geologists,  but  it  seemed  to  me  to  partake  of 
the  nature  of  granite.  Certainly  it  was  not  coral  like 
that  on  and  about  the  coast,  but  of  a  primeval  formation. 

When  I  asked  Marama  what  caused  these  holes,  he 
only  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  said  he  did  not  know, 
but  their  fathers  had  declared  that  they  were  made  by 
stones  falling  from  heaven.  This,  of  course,  suggested 
meteorites  to  my  mind.  I  submitted  the  idea  to  Bickley, 
who,  in  one  of  his  rare  intervals  of  leisure,  came  with  me 
to  make  an  examination. 

"  If  they  were  meteorites,"  he  said,  "  of  which  a 


The  Orofenans  97 

shower  struck  the  earth  in  some  past  geological  age,  all 
life  must  have  been  destroyed  by  them  and  their  remains 
ought  to  exist  at  the  bottom  of  the  holes.  To  me  they 
look  more  like  the  effect  of  high  explosives,  but  that,  of 
course,  is  impossible,  though  I  don't  know  what  else 
could  have  caused  such  craters." 

Then  he  went  back  to  his  work,  for  nothing  that  had 
to  do  with  antiquity  interested  Bickley  very  much.  The 
present  and  its  problems  were  enough  for  him,  he  would 
say,  who  neither  had  lived  in  the  past  nor  expected  to 
have  any  share  in  the  future. 

As  I  remained  curious  I  made  an  opportunity  to 
scramble  to  the  bottom  of  one  of  these  craters,  taking 
with  me  some  of  the  natives  with  their  wooden  tools. 
Here  I  found  a  good  deal  of  soil  either  washed  down 
from  the  surface  or  resulting  from  the  decomposition  of 
the  rock,  though  oddly  enough  in  it  nothing  grew.  I 
directed  them  to  dig.  After  a  while  to  my  astonishment 
there  appeared  a  corner  of  a  great  worked  stone  quite 
unlike  that  of  the  crater,  indeed  it  seemed  to  me  to  be 
of  marble.  Further  examination  showed  that  this  block 
was  most  beautifully  carved  in  bas-relief,  apparently 
with  a  design  of  leaves  and  flowers.  In  the  disturbed 
soil  also  I  picked  up  a  life-sized  marble  hand  of  a  woman 
exquisitely  finished  and  apparently  broken  from  a  statue 
that  might  have  been  the  work  of  one  of  the  great  Greek 
sculptors.  Moreover,  on  the  third  finger  of  this  hand 
was  a  representation  of  a  ring  whereof,  unfortunately, 
the  bezel  had  been  destroyed. 

I  put  the  hand  in  my  pocket,  but  as  darkness  was 
coming  on,  I  could  not  pursue  the  research  and  disinter 
the  block.  When  I  wished  to  return  the  next  day,  I  was 
informed  politely  by  Marama  that  it  would  not  be  safe 


98  When  the  World  Shook 

for  me  to  do  so  as  the  priests  of  Oro  declared  that  if  I 
sought  to  meddle  with  the  "  buried  things  the  god  would 
grow  angry  and  bring  disaster  on  me." 

When  I  persisted  he  said  that  at  least  I  must  go  alone 
since  no  native  would  accompany  me,  and  added  ear- 
nestly that  he  prayed  me  not  to  go.  So  to  my  great  re- 
gret and  disappointment  I  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  idea. 


THAT  carved  stone  and  the  marble  hand  took  a  great 
hold  of  my  imagination.  What  did  they  mean?  How 
could  they  have  come  to  the  bottom  of  that  hole,  unless 
indeed  they  were  part  of  some  building  and  its  orna- 
ments which  had  been  destroyed  in  the  neighbourhood? 
The  stone  of  which  we  had  only  uncovered  a  corner 
seemed  far  too  big  to  have  been  carried  there  from  any 
ship;  it  must  have  weighed  several  tons.  Besides,  ships 
do  not  carry  such  things  about  the  world,  and  none  had 
visited  this  island  during  the  last  two  centuries  at  any 
rate,  or  local  tradition  would  have  recorded  so  wonder- 
ful a  fact.  Were  there,  then,  once  edifices  covered  with 
elegant  carving  standing  on  this  place,  and  were  they 
adorned  with  lovely  statues  that  would  not  have  dis- 
graced the  best  period  of  Greek  art?  The  thing  was 
incredible  except  on  the  supposition  that  these  were 
relics  of  an  utterly  lost  civilisation. 

Bickley  was  as  much  puzzled  as  myself.  All  he  could 
say  was  that  the  world  was  infinitely  old  and  many 
things  might  have  happened  in  it  whereof  we  had  no 
record.  Even  Bastin  was  excited  for  a  little  while,  but 
as  his  imagination  was  represented  by  zero,  all  he  could 
say  was: 

"  I  suppose  someone  left  them  there,  and  anyhow  it 
doesn't  matter  much,  does  it  ?  " 

But  I,  who  have  certain  leanings  towards  the  ancient 
and  mysterious,  could  not  be  put  off  in  this  fashion.  I 

99 


ioo  When  the  World  Shook 

remembered  that  unapproachable  mountain  in  the  midst 
of  the  lake  and  that  on  it  appeared  to  be  something 
which  looked  like  ruins  as  seen  from  the  top  of  the  cliff 
through  glasses.  At  any  rate  this  was  a  point  that  I 
might  clear  up. 

Saying  nothing  to  anybody,  one  morning  I  slipped 
away  and  walked  to  the  edge  of  the  lake,  a  distance  of 
five  or  six  miles  over  rough  country.  Having  arrived 
there  I  perceived  that  the  cone-shaped  mountain  in  the 
centre,  which  was  about  a  mile  from  the  lake  shore,  was 
much  larger  than  I  had  thought,  quite  three  hundred  feet 
high  indeed,  and  with  a  very  large  circumference. 
Further,  its  sides  evidently  once  had  been  terraced,  and 
it  was  on  one  of  these  broad  terraces,  half-way  up  and 
facing  towards  the  rising  sun,  that  the  ruin-like  remains 
were  heaped.  I  examined  them  through  my  glasses. 
Undoubtedly  it  was  a  cyclopean  ruin  built  of  great 
blocks  of  coloured  stone  which  seemed  to  have  been 
shattered  by  earthquake  or  explosion.  There  were  the 
pillars  of  a  mighty  gateway  and  the  remains  of  walls. 

I  trembled  with  excitement  as  I  stared  and  stared. 
Could  I  not  get  to  the  place  and  see  for  myself?  I 
observed  that  from  the  flat  bush-clad  land  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain,  ran  out  what  seemed  to  be  the  residue  of 
a  stone  pier  which  ended  in  a  large  table-topped  rock 
between  two  and  three  hundred  feet  across.  But  even 
this  was  too  far  to  reach  by  swimming,  besides  for 
aught  I  knew  there  might  be  alligators  in  that  lake.  I 
walked  up  and  down  its  borders,  till  presently  I  came 
to  a  path  which  led  into  a  patch  of  some  variety  of  cot- 
ton palm. 

Following  this  path  I  discovered  a  boat-house  thatched 
over  with  palm  leaves.  Inside  it  were  two  good  canoes 
with  their  paddles,  floating  and  tied  to  the  stumps  of 


Bast  in  Attempts  the  Martyr's  Crown     101 

trees  by  fibre  ropes.  Instantly  I  made  up  my  mind  that 
I  would  paddle  to  the  island  and  investigate.  Just  as 
I  was  about  to  step  into  one  of  the  canoe.s  the  light  was 
cut  off.  Looking  up  I  saw  that  a  man  was  crouching 
in  the  door-place  of  the  boat-house  in  order  to  enter, 
and  paused  guiltily. 

"  Friend-from-the-Sea  "  (that  was  the  name  that  these 
islanders  had  given  to  me),  said  the  voice  of  Marama, 
"say — what  are  you  doing  here?" 

"  I  am  about  to  take  a  row  on  the  lake,  Chief,"  I 
answered  carelessly. 

"  Indeed,  Friend.  Have  we  then  treated  you  so  badly 
that  you  are  tired  of  life?" 

"What  do  you  mean?"  I  asked. 

"  Come  out  into  the  sunlight,  Friend,  and  I  will  ex- 
plain to  you." 

I  hesitated  till  I  saw  Marama  lifting  the  heavy  wooden 
spear  he  carried  and  remembered  that  I  was  unarmed. 
Then  I  came  out. 

"  What  does  all  this  mean,  Chief  ?  "  I  asked  angrily 
when  we  were  clear  of  the  patch  of  cotton  palm. 

"  I  mean,  Friend,  that  you  have  been  very  near  to 
making  a  longer  journey  than  you  thought.  Have  pa- 
tience now  and  listen  to  me.  I  saw  you  leaving  the 
village  this  morning  and  followed,  suspecting  your  pur- 
pose. Yes,  I  followed  alone,  saying  nothing  to  the 
priests  of  Oro  who  fortunately  were  away  watching  the 
Bellpwer  for  their  own  reasons.  I  saw  you  searching 
out  the  secrets  of  the  mountain  with  those  magic  tubes 
that  make  things  big  that  are  small,  and  things  that 
are  far  off  come  near,  and  I  followed  you  to  the 
canoes." 

"All  that  is  plain  enough,  Marama.     But  why?" 

"  Have  I  not  told  you,  Friend-from-the-Sea,  that  yon- 


102  When  the  World  Shook 

der  hill  which  is  called  Orofena,  whence  this  island  takes 
its  name,  is  sacred?" 

"You  said  so,  but  what  of  it?" 

"  This :  to  set  foot  thereon  is  to  die  and,  I  suppose, 
great  as  you  are,  you,  too,  can  die  like  others.  At  least, 
although  I  love  you,  had  you  not  ccme  away  from  that 
canoe  I  was  about  to  discover  whether  this  is  so." 

"  Then  for  what  are  the  canoes  used  ?  "  I  asked  with 
irritation. 

"  You  see  that  flat  rock,  Friend,  with  the  hole  be- 
yond, which  is  the  mouth  of  a  cave  that  appeared  only 
in  the  great  storm  that  brought  you  to  our  land?  They 
are  used  to  convey  offerings  which  are  laid  upon  the 
rock.  Beyond  it  no  man  may  go,  and  since  the  begin- 
ning no  man  has  ever  gone." 

"  Offerings  to  whom  ?  " 

"  To  the  Oromatuas,  the  spirits  of  the  great  dead  who 
live  there." 

"  Oromatuas  ?  Oro !  It  is  always  something  to  do 
with  Oro.  Who  and  what  is  Oro?" 

"  Oro  is  a  god,  Friend,  though  it  is  true  that  the 
priests  say  that  above  him  there  is  a  greater  god  called 
Degai,  the  Creator,  the  Fate  who  made  all  things  and 
directs  all  things." 

"  Very  well,  but  why  do  you  suppose  that  Oro,  the 
servant  of  Degai,  lives  in  that  mountain?  I  thought 
that  he  lived  in  a  grove  yonder  where  your  priests,  as  I 
am  told,  have  an  image  of  him." 

"  I  do  not  know,  Friend-from-the-Sea,  but  so  it  has 
been  held  from  the  beginning.  The  image  in  the  grove 
is  only  visited  by  his  spirit  from  time  to  time.  Now,  I 
pray  you,  come  back  and  before  the  priests  discover  that 
you  have  been  here,  and  forget  that  there  are  any  canoes 
upon  this  lake." 


Bast  in  Attempts  the  Martyr's  Crown     103 

So,  thinking  it  wisest,  I  turned  the  matter  with  a 
laugh  and  walked  away  with  him  to  the  village.  On 
our  road  I  tried  to  extract  some  more  information  but 
without  success.  He  did  not  know  who  built  the  ruin 
upon  the  mountain,  or  who  destroyed  it.  He  did  not 
know  how  the  terraces  came  there.  All  he  knew  was 
that  during  the  convulsion  of  Nature  which  resulted  in 
the  tidal  wave  that  had  thrown  our  ship  upon  the  island, 
the  mountain  had  been  seen  to  quiver  like  a  tree  in  the 
wind  as  though  within  it  great  forces  were  at  work. 
Then  it  was  observed  to  have  risen  a  good  many  more 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  lake,  as  might  be  noted  by 
the  water  mark  upon  the  shore,  and  then  also  the  mouth 
of  the  cave  had  appeared.  The  priests  said  that  all  this 
was  because  the  Oromatuas  who  dwelt  there  were 
stirring,  which  portended  great  things.  Indeed  great 
things  had  happened — for  had  we  not  arrived  in  their 
land? 

I  thanked  him  for  what  he  had  told  me,  and,  as  there 
was  nothing  more  to  be  learned,  dropped  the  subject 
which  was  never  mentioned  between  us  again,  at  least 
not  for  a  long  while.  But  in  my  heart  I  determined  that 
I  would  reach  that  mountain  even  though  to  do  so  I 
must  risk  my  life.  Something  seemed  to  call  me  to  the 
place ;  it  was  as  though  I  were  being  drawn  by  a  magnet. 

As  it  happened,  before  so  very  long  I  did  go  to  the 
mountain,  not  of  my  own  will  but  because  I  was  obliged. 
It  came  about  thus.  One  night  I  asked  Bastin  how  he 
was  getting  on  with  his  missionary  work.  He  replied: 
Very  well  indeed,  but  there  was  one  great  obstacle  in  his 
path,  the  idol  in  the  Grove.  Were  it  not  for  this  ac- 
cursed image  he  believed  that  the  whole  island  would 
become  Christian.  I  asked  him  to  be  more  plain.  He 


104  When  the  World  Shook 

explained  that  all  his  work  was  thwarted  by  this  idol, 
since  his  converts  declared  that  they  did  not  dare  to  be 
baptised  while  it  sat  there  in  the  Grove.  If  they  did,  the 
spirit  that  was  in  it  would  bewitch  them  and  perhaps 
steal  out  at  night  and  murder  them. 

"The  spirit  being  our  friends  the  sorcerers,"  I  sug- 
gested. 

"  That's  it,  Arbuthnot.  Do  you  know,  I  believe  those 
devilish  men  sometimes  offer  human  sacrifices  to  this 
satanic  fetish,  when  there  is  a  drought  or  anything  of 
that  sort." 

"  I  can  quite  believe  it,"  I  answered,  "  but  as  they  will 
scarcely  remove  their  god  and  with  it  their  own  liveli- 
hood and  authority,  I  am  afraid  that  as  we  don't  want 
to  be  sacrificed,  there  is  nothing  to  be  done." 

At  this  moment  I  was  called  away.  As  I  went  I 
heard  Bastin  muttering  something  about  martyrs,  but 
paid  no  attention.  Little  did  I  guess  what  was  going 
on  in  his  pious  but  obstinate  mind.  In  effect  it  was  this 
— that  if  no  one  else  would  remove  that  idol  he  was 
quite  ready  to  do  it  himself. 

However,  he  was  very  cunning  over  that  business, 
almost  Jesuitical  indeed.  Not  one  word  did  he  breathe 
of  his  dark  plans  to  me,  and  still  less  to  Bfckley.  He 
just  went  on  with  his  teaching,  lamenting  from  time  to 
time  the  stumbling-block  of  the  idol  and  expressing 
wonder  as  to  how  it  might  be  circumvented  by  a  change 
in  the  hearts  of  the  islanders,  or  otherwise.  Sad  as  it 
is  to  record,  in  fact,  dear  old  Bastin  went  as  near  to 
telling  a  fib  in  connection  with  this  matter  as  I  suppose 
he  had  ever  done  in  his  life.  It  happened  thus.  One 
day  Bickley's  sharp  eye  caught  sight  of  Bastin  walking 
about  with  what  looked  like  a  bottle  of  whisky  in  his 
pocket. 


Bast  in  Attempts  the  Martyr's  Crown     105 

"  Hallo,  old  fellow,"  he  said,  "  has  the  self-denying 
ordinance  broken  down?  I  didn't  know  that  you  took 
pegs  on  the  sly,"  and  he  pointed  to  the  bottle. 

"  If  you  are  insinuating,  Bickley,  that  I  absorb  spirits 
surreptitiously,  you  are  more  mistaken  than  usual,  which 
is  saying  a  good  deal.  This  bottle  contains,  not  Scotch 
whisky  but  paraffin,  although  I  admit  that  its  label  may 
have  misled  you,  unintentionally,  so  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  the  paraffin?  "  asked 
Bickley. 

Bastin  coloured  through  his  tan  and  replied  awk- 
wardly : 

"  Paraffin  is  very  good  to  keep  away  mosquitoes  if 
one  can  stand  the  smell  of  it  upon  one's  skin.  Not  that 
I  have  brought  it  here  with  that  sole  object.  The  truth 
is  that  I  am  anxious  to  experiment  with  a  lamp  of  my 
own  design  made — um — of  native  wood,"  and  he  de- 
parted in  a  hurry. 

"  When,  next  old  Bastin  wants  to  tell  a  lie,"  com- 
mented Bickley,  "  he  should  make  up  his  mind  as  to 
what  it  is  to  be,  and  stick  to  it.  I  wonder  what  he  is 
after  with  that  paraffin?  Not  going  to  dose  any  of  my 
patients  with  it,  I  hope.  He  was  arguing  the  other 
day  that  it  is  a  great  remedy  taken  internally,  being 
quite  unaware  that  the  lamp  variety  is  not  used  for 
that  purpose." 

"  Perhaps  he  means  to  swallow  some  himself,  just  to 
show  that  he  is  right,"  I  suggested. 

"The  stomach-pump  is  at  hand,"  said  Bickley,  and 
the  matter  dropped. 

Next  morning  I  got  up  before  it  was  light.  Having 
some  elementary  knowledge  of  the  main  facts  of  astron- 
omy, which  remained  with  me  from  boyhood  when  I 


io6  When  the  World  Shook 

had  attended  lectures  on  the  subject,  which  I  had  tried 
to  refresh  by  help  of  an  encyclopaedia  I  had  brought 
from  the  ship,  I  wished  to  attempt  to  obtain  an  idea  of 
our  position  by  help  of  the  stars.  In  this  endeavour,  I 
may  say,  I  failed  absolutely,  as  I  did  not  know  how  to 
take  a  stellar  or  any  other  observation. 

On  my  way  out  of  our  native  house  I  observed,  by 
the  lantern  I  carried,  that  the  compartment  of  it  occu- 
pied by  Bastin  was  empty,  and  wondered  whither  he  had 
gone  at  that  hour.  On  arriving  at  my  observation-post, 
a  rocky  eminence  on  open  ground,  where,  with  Tommy 
at  my  side,  I  took  my  seat  with  a  telescope,  I  was  aston- 
ished to  see  or  rather  to  hear  a  great  number  of  the 
natives  walking  past  the  base  of  the  mound  towards  the 
bush.  Then  I  remembered  that  some  one,  Marama,  I 
think,  had  informed  me  that  there  was  to  be* a  great 
sacrifice  to  Oro  at  dawn  on  that  day.  After  this  I 
thought  no  more  of  the  matter  but  occupied  myself  in 
a  futile  study  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  At  length  the 
dawn  broke  and  put  a  period  to  my  labours. 

Glancing  round  me  before  I  descended  from  the  little 
hill,  I  saw  a  flame  of  light  appear  suddenly  about  half 
a  mile  or  more  away  among  those  trees  which  I  knew 
concealed  the  image  of  Oro.  On  this  personally  I  had 
never  had  the  curiosity  to  look,  as  I  knew  that  it  was 
only  a  hideous  idol  stuck  over  with  feathers  and  other 
bedizenments.  The  flame  shot  suddenly  straight  into 
the  still  air  and  was  followed  a  few  seconds  later  by 
the  sound  of  a  dull  explosion,  after  which  it  went  out. 
Also  it  was  followed  by  something  else — a  scream  of 
rage  from  an  infuriated  mob. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill  I  stopped  to  wonder  what 
these  sounds  might  mean.  Then  of  a  sudden  appeared 
Bickley,  who  had  been  attending  some  urgent  case,  and 


Bastin  Attempts  the  Martyr's  Crown     107 

asked  me  who  was  exploding  gunpowder.  I  told  him 
that  I  had  no  idea. 

"  Then  I  have,"  he  answered.  "  It  is  that  ass  Bastin 
up  to  some  game.  Now  I  guess  why  he  wanted  that 
paraffin.  Listen  to  the  row.  What  are  they  after  ?  " 

"  Sacrificing  Bastin,  perhaps,"  I  replied,  half  in  jest. 
"  Have  you  your  revolver  ?  " 

He  nodded.  We  always  wore  our  pistols  if  we  went 
out  during  the  dark  hours. 

"  Then  perhaps  we  had  better  go  to  see." 

We  started,  and  had  not  covered  a  hundred  yards 
before  a  girl,  whom  I  recognised  as  one  of  Bastin's 
converts,  came  flying  towards  us  and  screaming  out, 
"  Help !  Help !  They  kill  the  Bellower  with  fire !  They 
cook  him  like  a  pig ! " 

"Just  what  I  expected,"  said  Bickley. 

Then  we  ran  hard,  as  evidently  there  was  no  time 
to  lose.  While  we  went  I  extracted  from  the  terrified 
girl,  whom  we  forced  to  show  us  the  way,  that  as  the 
sacrifice  was  about  to  be  offered  Bastin  had  appeared, 
and,  "  making  fire,"  applied  it  to  the  god  Oro,  who 
instantly  burst  into  flame.  Then  he  ran  back,  calling 
out  that  the  devil  was  dead.  As  he  did  so  there  was 
a  loud  explosion  and  Oro  flew  into  pieces.  His  burning 
head  went  a  long  way  into  the  air  and,  falling  on  to 
one  of  the  priests,  killed  him.  Thereon  the  other  priests 
and  the  people  seized  the  Bellower  and  made  him  fast. 
Now  they  were  engaged  in  heating  an  oven  in  which 
to  put  him  to  cook.  When  it  was  ready  they  would  eat 
him  in  honour  of  Oro. 

"  And  serve  him  right  too !  "  gasped  Bickley,  who, 
being  stout,  was  not  a  good  runner.  "  Why  can't  he 
leave  other  people's  gods  alone  instead  of  blowing  them 
up  with  gunpowder?" 


io8  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Don't  know,"  I  answered.  "  Hope  we  shall  get 
there  in  time !  " 

"To  be  cooked  and  eaten  with  Bastin!"  wheezed 
Bickley,  after  which  his  breath  gave  out. 

As  it  chanced  we  did,  for  these  stone  ovens  take  a 
long  time  to  heat.  There  by  the  edge  of  his  fiery  grave 
with  his  hands  and  legs  bound  in  palm-fibre  shackles, 
stood  Bastin,  quite  unmoved,  smiling  indeed,  in  a  sort 
of  seraphic  way  which  irritated  us  both  extremely. 
Round  him  danced  the  infuriated  priests  of  Oro,  and 
round  them,  shrieking  and  howling  with  rage,  was  most 
of  the  population  of  Orofena.  We  rushed  up  so  sud- 
denly that  none  tried  to  stop  us,  and  took  our  stand 
on  either  side  of  him,  producing  our  pistols  as  we  did  so. 

"  Thank  you  for  coming,"  said  Bastin  in  the  silence 
which  followed;  "though  I  don't  think  it  is  the  least 
use.  I  cannot  recall  that  any  of  the  early  martyrs  were 
ever  roasted  and  eaten,  though,  of  course,  throwing  them 
into  boiling  oil  or  water  was  fairly  common.  I  take 
it  that  the  rite  is  sacrificial  and  even  in  a  low  sense, 
sacramental,  not  merely  one  of  common  cannibalism." 

I  stared  at  him,  and  Bickley  gasped  out: 

"If  you  are  to  be  eaten,  what  does  it  matter  why  you 
are  eaten?" 

"Oh!"  replied  Bastin;  "there  is  all  the  difference  in 
the  world,  though  it  is  one  that  I  cannot  expect  you  to 
appreciate.  And  now  please  be  quiet  as  I  wish  to  say 
my  prayers.  I  imagine  that  those  stones  will  be  hot 
enough  to  do  their  office  within  twenty  minutes  or  so, 
which  is  not  very  long." 

At  that  moment  Marama  appeared,  evidently  in  a 
state  of  great  perturbation.  With  him  were  some  of 
the  priests  or  sorcerers  who  were  dancing  about  as  I 


Bastin  Attempts  the  Martyr's  Crown     109 

imagine  the  priests  of  Baal  must  have  done,  and  filled 
with  fury.  They  rolled  their  eyes,  they  stuck  out  their 
tongues,  they  uttered  weird  cries  and  shook  their  wooden 
knives  at  the  placid  Bastin. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  I  asked  sternly  of  the  chief. 

"This,  Friend-from-the-Sea.  The  Bellower  there, 
when  the  sacrifice  was  about  to  be  offered  to  Oro  at 
the  dawn,  rushed  forward,  and  having  thrust  some- 
thing between  the  legs  of  the  image  of  the  god,  poured 
yellow  water  over  it,  and  with  fire  caused  it  to  burst 
into  fierce  flame.  Then  he  ran  away  and  mocked  the 
god  who  presently,  with  a  loud  report,  flew  into  pieces 
and  killed  that  man.  Therefore  the  Bellower  must  be 
sacrificed." 

"What  to?"  I  asked.  "The  image  has  gone  and 
the  piece  of  it  that  ascended  fell  not  upon  the  Bellower, 
as  would  have  happened  if  the  god  had  been  angry 
with  him,  but  on  one  of  its  own  priests,  whom  it  killed. 
Therefore,  having  been  sacrificed  by  the  god  itself,  he 
it  is  that  should  be  eaten,  not  the  Bellower,  who  merely 
did  what  his  Spirit  bade  him." 

This  ingenious  argument  seemed  to  produce  some 
effect  upon  Marama,  but  to  the  priests  it  did  not  at 
all  appeal. 

"  Eat  them  all !  "  these  cried.  "  They  are  the  enemies 
of  Oro  and  have  worked  sacrilege ! " 

Moreover,  to  judge  from  their  demeanour,  the  bulk 
of  the  people  seemed  to  agree  with  them.  Things  began 
to  look  very  ugly.  The  priests  rushed  forward,  threat- 
ening us  with  their  wooden  weapons,  and  one  of  them 
even  aimed  a  blow  at  Bickley,  which  only  missed  him 
by  an  inch  or  two. 

"  Look  here,  my   friend,"  called  the  doctor  whose 


no  When  the  World  Shook 

temper  was  rising,  "you  name  me  the  Great  Priest  or 
Great  Healer,  do  you  not?  Well,  be  careful,  lest  I 
should  show  you  that  I  can  kill  as  well  as  heal ! " 

Not  in  the  least  intimidated  by  this  threat  the  man, 
a  great  bedizened  fellow  who  literally  was  foaming  at 
the  mouth  with  rage,  rushed  forward  again,  his  club 
raised,  apparently  with  the  object  of  dashing  out  Bick- 
ley's  brains. 

Suddenly  Bickley  lifted  his  revolver  and  fired.  The 
man,  shot  through  the  heart,  sprang  into  the  air  and 
fell  upon  his  face — stone  dead.  There  was  consterna- 
tion, for  these  people  had  never  seen  us  shoot  anything 
before,  and  were  quite  unacquainted  with  the  properties 
of  firearms,  which  they  supposed  to  be  merely  instru- 
ments for  making  a  noise.  They  stared,  they  gasped 
in  fear  and  astonishment,  and  then  they  fled,  pursued  by 
Tommy,  barking,  leaving  us  alone  with  the  two  dead 
men. 

"  It  was  time  to  teach  them  a  lesson,"  said'  Bickley 
as  he  replaced  the  empty  cartridge,  and,  seizing  the 
dead  man,  rolled  him  into  the  burning  pit. 

"Yes,"  I  answered;  "but  presently,  when  they  have 
got  over  their  fright,  they  will  come  back  to  teach  MS 
one." 

Bastin  said  nothing;  he  seemed  too  dazed  at  the 
turn  events  had  taken. 

"What  do  you  suggest?"  asked  Bickley. 

"Flight,"  I  answered. 

"Where  to — the  ship?     We  might  hold  that." 

"No;  that  is  what  they  expect.  Look!  They  are 
cutting  off  our  road  there.  To  the  island  in  the  lake 
where  they  dare  not  follow  us,  for  it  is  holy  ground." 

"  How  are  we  going  to  live  on  the  island  ? "  asked 
Bickley. 


Bastin  Attempts  the  Martyr's  Crown     1 1 1 

"I  don't  know/'  I  replied;  "but  I  am  quite  certain 
that  if  we  stay  here  we  shall  die." 

"Very  well,"  he  said;  "let  us  try  it." 

While  we  were  speaking  I  was  cutting  Bastin's  bonds. 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said.  "  It  is  a  great  relief  to  stretch 
one's  arms  after  they  have  been  compressed  with  cords. 
But  at  the  same  time,  I  do  not  know  that  I  am  really 
grateful.  The  martyr's  crown  was  hanging  above  me, 
so  to  speak,  and  now  it  has  vanished  into  the  pit,  like 
that  man  whom  Bickley  murdered." 

"  Look  here,"  exclaimed  the  exasperated  Bickley,  "  if 
you  say  much  more,  Bastin,  I'll  chuck  you  into  the 
pit  too,  to  look  for  your  martyr's  crown,  for  I  think 
you  have  done  enough  mischief  for  one  morning." 

"  If  you  are  trying  to  shift  the  responsibility  for  that 
unfortunate  man's  destruction  on  to  me " 

"  Oh !  shut  it  and  trot,"  broke  in  Bickley.  "  Those 
infernal  savages  are  coming  with  your  blessed  converts 
leading  the  van." 

So  we  "  trotted  "  at  no  mean  pace.  As  we  passed  it, 
Bastin  stooped  down  and  picked  up  the  head  of  the 
image  of  Oro,  much  as  Atalanta  in  Academy  pictures 
is  represented  as  doing  to  the  apples,  and  bore  it  away 
in  triumph. 

"  I  know  it  is  scorched,"  he  ejaculated  at  intervals, 
"  but  they  might  trim  it  up  and  stick  it  on  to  a  new 
body  as  the  original  false  god.  Now  they  can't,  for 
there's  nothing  left." 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  were  never  in  any  real  dan- 
ger, for  our  pursuit  was  very  half-hearted  indeed.  To 
begin  with,  now  that  their  first  rage  was  over,  the  Oro- 
fenans  who  were  fond  of  us  had  no  particular  wish 
to  do  us  to  death,  while  the  ardour  of  their  sorcerers, 
who  wished  this  very  much,  had  been  greatly  cooled 


H2  When  the  World  Shook 

by  the  mysterious  annihilation  of  their  idol  and  the 
violent  deaths  of  two  of  their  companions,  which  they 
thought  might  be  reduplicated  in  their  own  persons. 
So  it  came  about  that  the  chase,  if  noisy,  was  neither 
close  nor  eager. 

We  reached  the  edge  of  the  lake  where  was  the  boat- 
house  of  which  I  have  spoken  already,  travelling  at  lit- 
tle more  than  a  walk.  Here  we  made  Bastin  unfasten 
the  better  of  the  two  canoes  that  by  good  luck  was 
almost  filled  with  offerings,  which  doubtless,  according 
to  custom,  must  be  made  upon  the  day  of  this  feast  to 
Oro,  while  we  watched  against  surprise  at  the  boat-house 
door.  When  he  was  ready  we  slipped  in  and  took  our 
seats,  Tommy  jumping  in  after  us,  and  pushed  the 
canoe,  now  very  heavily  laden,  out  into  the  lake. 

Here,  at  a  distance  of  about  forty  paces,  which  we 
judged  to  be  beyond  wooden  spear-throw,  we  rested 
upon  our  paddles  to  see  what  would  happen.  All  the 
crowd  of  islanders  had  rushed  to  the  lake  edge  where 
they  stood  staring  at  us  stupidly.  Bastin,  thinking  the 
occasion  opportune,  lifted  the  hideous  head  of  the  idol 
which  he  had  carefully  washed,  and  began  to  preach 
on  the  downfall  of  "  the  god  of  the  Grove." 

This  action  of  his  appeared  to  awake  memories  or 
forebodings  in  the  minds  of  his  congregation.  Perhaps 
some  ancient  prophecy  was  concerned — I  do  not  know. 
At  any  rate,  one  of  the  priests  shouted  something,  where- 
on everybody  began  to  talk  at  once.  Then,  stooping 
down,  they  threw  water  from  the  lake  over  themselves 
and  rubbed  its  sand  and  mud  into  their  hair,  all  the 
while  making  genuflexions  towards  the  mountain  in  the 
middle,  after  which  they  turned  and  departed. 

"  Don't  you  think  we  had  better  go  back  ? "  asked 
Bastin.  "Evidently  my  words  have  touched  them  and 


Bastin  Attempts  the  Martyr's  Crown     113 

their  minds  are  melting  beneath  the  light  of  Truth." 

"Oh!  by  all  means,"  replied  Bickley  with  sarcasm; 
"  for  then  their  spears  will  touch  us,  and  our  bodies 
will  soon  be  melting  above  the  fires  of  that  pit." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  said  Bastin ;  "  at  least,  I 
admit  that  you  have  made  matters  very  difficult  by  your 
unjustifiable  homicide  of  that  priest  who  I  do  not  think 
meant  to  injure  you  seriously,  and  really  was  not  at  all 
a  bad  fellow,  though  opinionated  in  some  ways.  Also, 
I  do  not  suppose  that  anybody  is  expected,  as  it  were, 
to  run  his  head  into  the  martyr's  crown.  When  it  set- 
tles there  of  itself  it  is  another  matter." 

"  Like  a  butterfly !  "  exclaimed  the  enraged  Bickley. 

"  Yes,  if  you  like  to  put  it  that  way,  though  the 
simile  seems  a  very  poor  one;  like  a  sunbeam  would  be 
better." 

Here  Bickley  gave  way  with  his  paddle  so  vigorously 
that  the  canoe  was  as  nearly  as  possible  upset  into  the 
lake. 

In  due  course  we  reached  the  flat  Rock  of  Offerings, 
which  proved  to  be  quite  as  wide  as  a  double  croquet 
lawn  and  much  longer. 

"  What  are  those?  "  I  asked,  pointing  to  certain  knobs 
on  the  edge  of  the  rock  at  a  spot  where  a  curved  pro- 
jecting point  made  a  little  harbour. 

Bickley  examined  them,  and  answered: 

"  I  should  say  that  they  are  the  remains  of  stone 
moo  ring-posts  worn  down  by  many  thousands  of  years 
of  weather.  Yes,  look,  there  is  the  cut  of  the  cables 
upon  the  base  of  that  one,  and  very  big  cables  they 
must  have  been." 

We  stared  at  one  another — that  is,  Bickley  and  I 
did,  for  Bastin  was  still  engaged  in  contemplating  the 
blackened  head  of  the  god  which  he  had  overthrown. 


CHAPTER  IX 

\ 

THE   ISLAND   IN    THE   LAKE 

WE  made  the  canoe  fast  and  landed  on  the  great  rock, 
to  perceive  that  it  was  really  a  peninsula.  That  is  to 
say,  it  was  joined  to  the  main  land  of  the  lake  island  by 
a  broad  roadway  quite  fifty  yards  across,  which  ap- 
peared to  end  in  the  mouth  of  the  cave.  On  this  cause- 
way we  noted  a  very  remarkable  thing,  namely,  two 
grooves  separated  by  an  exact  distance  of  nine  feet 
which  ran  into  the  mouth  of  the  cave  and  vanished 
there. 

"  Explain !  "  said  Bickley. 

"  Paths,"  I  said,  "  worn  by  countless  feet  walking  on 
them  for  thousands  of  years." 

"  You  should  cultivate  the  art  of  observation, 
Arbuthnot.  What  do  you  say,  Bastin  ?  " 

He  stared  at  the  grooves  through  his  spectacles,  and 
replied : 

"  I  don't  say  anything,  except  that  I  can't  see  any- 
body to  make  paths  here.  Indeed,  the  place  seems 
quite  unpopulated,  and  all  the  Orofenans  told  me  that 
they  never  landed  on  it  because  if  they  did  they  would 
die.  It  is  a  part  of  their  superstitious  nonsense.  If 
you  have  any  idea  in  your  head  you  had  better  tell  us 
quickly  before  we  breakfast.  I  am  very  hungry." 

"You  always  are,"  remarked  Bickley;  "even  when 
most  people's  appetites  might  have  been  affected.  Well. 
I  think  that  this  great  plateau  was  once  a  landing-place 

"4 


The  Island  in  the  Lake  115 

for  flying  machines,  and  that  there  is  the  air-shed  or 
garage." 

Bastin  stared  at  him. 

"Don't  you  think  we  had  better  breakfast?"  he  said. 
"  There  are  two  roast  pigs  in  that  canoe,  and  lots  of 
other  food,  enough  to  last  us  a  week,  I  should  say.  Of 
course,  I  understand  that  the  blood  you  have  shed  has 
thrown  you  off  your  balance.  I  believe  it  has  that 
effect,  except  on  the  most  hardened.  Flying  machines 
were  only  invented  a  few  years  ago  by  the  brothers 
Wright  in  America." 

"  Bastin,"  said  Bickley,  "  I  begin  to  regret  that  I  did 
not  leave  you  to  take  part  in  another  breakfast  yonder 
— I  mean  as  the  principal  dish." 

"  It  was  Providence,  not  you,  who  prevented  it, 
Bickley,  doubtless  because  I  am  unworthy  of  such  a 
glorious  end." 

"  Then  it  is  lucky  that  Providence  is  a  good  shot 
with  a  pistol.  Stop  talking  nonsense  and  listen.  If 
those  were  paths  worn  by  feet  they  would  run  to  the 
edge  of  the  rock.  They  do  not.  They  begin  there  in 
that  gentle  depression  and  slope  upwards  somewhat 
steeply.  The  air  machines,  which  were  evidently  large, 
lit  in  the  depression,  possibly  as  a  bird  does,  and  then 
ran  on  wheels  or  sledge  skids  along  the  grooves  to  the 
air-shed  in  the  mountain.  Come  to  the  cave  and  you 
will  see." 

"  Not  till  we  have  breakfast,"  said  Bastin.  "  I  will 
get  out  a  pig.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  had  no  supper  last 
night,  as  I  was  taking  a  class  of  native  boys  and  making 
some  arrangements  of  my  own." 

As  for  me,  I  only  whistled.  It  all  seemed  very 
feasible.  And  yet  how  could  such  things  be  ? 

We  unloaded  the  canoe  and  ate.     Bastin' s  appetite 


ii6  When  the  World  Shook 

was  splendid.  Indeed,  I  had  to  ask  him  to  remember 
that  when  this  supply  was  done  I  did  not  know  where 
we  should  find  any  more. 

"  Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow,"  he  replied.  "  I 
have  no  doubt  it  will  come  from  somewhere,"  and  he 
helped  himself  to  another  chop. 

Never  had  I  admired  him  so  much.  Not  a  couple 
of  hours  before  he  was  about  to  be  cruelly  murdered 
and  eaten.  But  this  did  not  seem  to  affect  him  in  the 
least.  Bastin  was  the  only  man  I  have  ever  known  with 
a  really  perfect  faith.  It  is  a  quality  worth  having  and 
one  that  makes  for  happiness.  What  a  great  thing  not 
to  care  whether  you  are  breakfasted  on,  or  breakfast! 

"  I  see  that  there  is  lots  of  driftwood  about  here,"  he 
remarked,  "  but  unfortunately  we  have  no  tea,  so  in  this 
climate  it  is  of  little  use,  unless  indeed  we  can  catch 
some  fish  and  cook  them." 

"  Stop  talking  about  eating  and  help  us  to  haul  up 
the  canoe,"  said  Bickley. 

Between  the  three  of  us  we  dragged  and  carried  the 
canoe  a  long  way  from  the  lake,  fearing  lest  the  natives 
should  come  and  bear  it  off  with  our  provisions.  Then, 
having  given  Tommy  his  breakfast  off  the  scraps,  we 
walked  to  the  cave.  I  glanced  at  my  companions. 
Bickley's  face  was  alight  with  scientific  eagerness. 
Here  are  not  dreams  or  speculations,  but  facts  to  be 
learned,  it  seemed  to  say,  and  I  will  learn  them.  The 
past  is  going  to  show  me  some  of  its  secrets,  to  tell  me 
how  men  of  long  ago  lived  and  died  and  how  far  they 
had  advanced  to  that  point  on  the  road  of  civilisation 
at  which  I  stand  in  my  little  hour  of  existence. 

That  of  Bastin  was  mildly  interested,  no  more. 
Obviously,  with  half  his  mind  he  was  thinking  of  some- 
thing else,  probably  of  his  converts  on  the  main  island 


The  Island  in  the  Lake  117 

and  of  the  school  class  fixed  for  this  hour  which  circum- 
stances prevented  him  from  attending.  Indeed,  like 
Lot's  wife  he  was  casting  glances  behind  him  towards 
the  wicked  place  from  which  he  had  been  forced  to  flee. 

Neither  the  past  nor  the  future  had  much  real 
interest  for  Bastin,  any  more  than  they  had  for  Bickley, 
though  for  different  reasons.  The  former  was  done 
with;  the  latter  he  was  quite  content  to  leave  in  other 
hands.  If  he  had  any  clear  idea  thereof,  probably  that 
undiscovered  land  appeared  to  him  as  a  big,  pleasant 
place  where  are  no  unbelievers  or  erroneous  doctrines, 
and  all  sinners  will  be  sternly  repressed,  in  which,  clad 
in  a  white  surplice  with  all  proper  ecclesiastical 
trappings,  he  would  argue  eternally  with  the  Early 
Fathers  and  in  due  course  utterly  annihilate  Bickley, 
that  is  in  a  moral  sense.  Personally  and  as  a  man  he 
was  extremely  attached  to  Bickley  as  a  necessary  and 
wrong-headed  nuisance  to  which  he  had  become  accus- 
tomed. 

And  I!  What  did  I  feel?  I  do  not  know;  I  cannot 
describe.  An  extraordinary  attraction,  a  semi-spiritual 
exaltation,  I  think.  That  cave  mouth  might  have  been 
a  magnet  drawing  my  soul.  With  my  body  I  should 
have  been  afraid,  as  I  daresay  I  was,  for  our  circum- 
stances were  sufficiently  desperate.  Here  we  were, 
castaways  upon  an  island,  probably  uncharted,  one  of 
thousands  in  the  recesses  of  a  vast  ocean,  from  which 
we  had  little  chance  of  escape.  More,  having  offended 
the  religious  instincts  of  the  primeval  inhabitants  of 
that  island,  we  had  been  forced  to  flee  to  a  rocky  moun- 
tain in  the  centre  of  a  lake,  where,  after  the  food  we 
had  brought  with  us  by  accident  was  consumed,  we 
should  no  doubt  be  forced  to  choose  between  death  by 
Starvation,  or,  if  we  attempted  to  retreat,  at  the  hands 


n8  When  the  World  Shook 

of  justly  infuriated  savages.  Yet  these  facts  did  not 
oppress  me,  for  I  was  being  drawn,  drawn  to  I  knew 
not  what,  and  if  it  were  to  doom — well,  no  matter. 

Therefore,  none  of  us  cared:  Bastin  because  his  faith 
was  equal  to  any  emergency  and  there  was  always  that 
white-robed  heaven  waiting  for  him  beyond  which  his 
imagination  did  not  go  (I  often  wondered  whether  he 
pictured  Mrs.  Bastin  as  also  waiting;  if  so,  he  never 
said  anything  about  her) ;  Bickley  because  as  a  child  of 
the  Present  and  a  servant  of  knowledge  he  feared  no 
future,  believing  it  to  be  for  him  non-existent,  and 
was  careless  as  to  when  his  strenuous  hour  of  life 
should  end;  and  I  because  I  felt  that  yonder  lay  my 
true  future;  yes,  and  my  true  past,  even  though  to 
discover  them  I  must  pass  through  that  portal  which 
we  know  as  Death. 

We  reached  the  mouth  of  the  cave.  It  was  a  vast 
place;  perhaps  the  arch  of  it  was  a  hundred  feet  high, 
and  I  could  see  that  once  all  this  arch  had  been  adorned 
with  sculptures.  Protected  as  these  were  by  the  over- 
hanging rock,  for  the  sculptured  mouth  of  the  cave  was 
cut  deep  into  the  mountain  face,  they  were  still  so  worn 
that  it  was  impossible  to  discern  their  details.  Time  had 
eaten  them  away  like  an  acid.  But  what  length  of 
time?  I  could  not  guess,  but  it  must  have  been  stupen- 
dous to  have  worked  thus  upon  that  hard  and  sheltered 
rock. 

This  came  home  to  me  with  added  force  when, 
from  subsequent  examination,  we  learned  that  the 
entire  mouth  of  this  cave  had  been  sealed  up  for 
unnumbered  ages.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Marama 
told  me  the  mountain  in  the  lake  had  risen  much 
during  the  frightful  cyclone  in  which  we  were  wrecked, 
and  with  it  the  cave  mQuth  which  previously  had  been 


The  Island  in  the  Lake  119 

invisible.  From  the  markings  on  the  mountain  side  it 
was  obvious  that  something  of  the  sort  had  happened 
very  recently,  at  any  rate  on  this  eastern  face.  That 
is,  either  the  flat  rock  had  sunk  or  the  volcano  had 
been  thrown  upwards. 

Once  in  the  far  past  the  cave  had  been  as  it  was 
when  we  found  it.  Then  it  had  gone  down  in  such  a 
way  that  the  table-rock  entirely  sealed  the  entrance. 
Now  this  entrance  was  once  more  open,  and  although 
of  course  there  was  a  break  in  them,  the  grooves  of 
which  I  have  spoken  ran  on  into  the  cave  at  only  a 
slightly  different  level  from  that  at  which  they  lay  upon 
the  flat  rock.  And  yet,  although  they  had  been  thus 
sheltered  by  a  great  stone  curtain  in  front  of  them,  still 
these  sculptures  were  worn  away  by  the  tooth  of  Time. 
Of  course,  however,  this  may  have  happened  to  them 
before  they  were  buried  in  some  ancient  cataclysm,  to  be 
thus  resurrected  at  the  hour  of  our  arrival  upon  the 
island. 

Without  pausing  to  make  any  closer  examination 
of  these  crumbled  carvings,  we  entered  the  yawning 
mouth  of  that  great  place,  following  and  indeed  walking 
in  the  deep  grooves  that  I  have  mentioned.  Presently 
it  seemed  to  open  out  as  a  courtyard  might  at  the  end 
of  a  passage;  yes,  to  open  on  to  some  vast  place  whereof 
in  that  gloom  we  could  not  see  the  roof  or  the  limits. 
All  we  knew  was  that  it  must  be  enormous — the  echoes 
of  our  voices  and  footsteps  told  us  as  much,  for  these 
seemed  to  come  back  to  us  from  high,  high  above  and 
from  far,  far  away.  Bickley  and  I  said  nothing;  we 
were  too  overcome.  But  Bastin  remarked : 

"  Did  you  ever  go  to  Olympia  ?  I  did  once  to  see 
a  kind  of  play  where  the  people  said  nothing,  only  ran 
about  dressed  up.  They  told  me  it  was  religious,  the 


120  When  the  World  Shook 

sort  of  thing  a  clergyman  should  study.  I  didn't  think 
it  religious  at  all.  It  was  all  about  a  nun  who  had  a 
baby/' 

"Well,  what  of  it?"  snapped  Bickley. 

"  Nothing  particular,  except  that  nuns  don't  have 
babies,  or  if  they  do  the  fact  should  not  be  advertised. 
But  I  wasn't  thinking  of  that.  I  was  thinking  that  this 
place  is  like  an  underground  Olympia." 

"  Oh,  be  quiet ! "  I  said,  for  though  Bastin's  descrip- 
tion was  not  bad,  his  monotonous,  drawling  voice  jarred 
on  me  in  that  solemnity. 

"  Be  careful  where  you  walk,"  whispered  Bickley, 
for  even  he  seemed  awed,  "there  may  be  pits  in  this 
floor." 

"  I  wish  we  had  a  light,"  I  said,  halting. 

"If  candles  are  of  any  use,"  broke  in  Bastin,  "as  it 
happens  I  have  a  packet  in  my  pocket.  I  took  them 
with  me  this  morning  for  a  certain  purpose." 

"  Not  unconnected  with  the  paraffin  and  the  burning 
of  the  idol,  I  suppose  ?  "  said  Bickley.  "  Hand  them 
over." 

"Yes;  if  I  had  been  allowed  a  little  more  time  I 
intended " 

"  Never  mind  what  you  intended ;  we  know  what 
you  did  and  that's  enough,"  said  Bickley  as  he  snatched 
the  packet  from  Bastin's  hand  and  proceeded  to  undo 
it,  adding,  "  By  heaven !  I  have  no  matches,  nor  have 
you,  Arbuthnot ! " 

"  I  have  a  dozen  boxes  of  wax  vestas  in  my  other 
pocket,"  said  Bastin.  "  You  see,  they  burn  so  well 
when  you  want  to  get  up  a  fire  on  a  damp  idol.  As  you 
may  have  noticed,  the  dew  is  very  heavy  here." 

In  due  course  these  too  were  produced.  I  took 
possession  of  them  as  they  were  too  valuable  to  be  left 


The  Island  in  the  Lake  121 

in  the  charge  of  Bastin,  and,  extracting  a  box  from  the 
packet,  lit  two  of  the  candles  which  were  of  the  short 
thick  variety,  like  those  used  in  carriage-lamps. 

Presently  they  burned  up,  making  two  faint  stars  of 
light  which,  however,  were  not  strong  enough  to  show 
us  either  the  roof  or  the  sides  of  that  vast  place.  By 
their  aid  we  pursued  our  path,  still  following  the 
grooves  till  suddenly  these  came  to  an  end.  Now  all 
around  us  was  a  flat  floor  of  rock  which,  as  we  per- 
ceived clearly  when  we  pushed  aside  the  dust  that  had 
gathered  thickly  on  it  in  the  course  of  ages,  doubtless 
from  the  gradual  disintegration  of  the  stony  walls,  had 
once  been  polished  till  it  resembled  black  marble.  In- 
deed, certain  cracks  in  the  floor  appeared  to  have  been 
filled  in  with  some  dark-coloured  cement.  I  stood  look- 
ing at  them  while  Bickley  wandered  off  to  the  right  and 
a  little  forward,  and  presently  called  to  me.  I  walked  to 
him,  Bastin  sticking  close  to  me  as  I  had  the  other 
candle,  as  did  the  little  dog,  Tommy,  who  did  not  like 
these  new  surroundings  and  would  not  leave  my  heels. 

"Look,"  said  Bickley,  holding  up  his  candle,  "and 
tell  me— what's  that?" 

Before  me,  faintly  shown,  was  some  curious  structure 
of  gleaming  rods  made  of  yellowish  metal,  which  rods 
appeared  to  be  connected  by  wires.  The  structure 
might  have  been  forty  feet  high  and  perhaps  a  hundred 
long.  Its  bottom  part  was  buried  in  dust. 

"  What  is  that?  "  asked  Bickley  again. 

I  made  no  answer,  for  I  was  thinking.  Bastin,  how- 
ever, replied: 

"  It's  difficult  to  be  sure  in  this  light,  but  I  should 
think  that  it  may  be  the  remains  of  a  cage  in  which 
some  people  who  lived  here  kept  monkeys,  or  perhaps 
it  was  an  aviary.  Look  at  those  little  ladders  for  the 


122  When  the  World  Shook 

monkeys  to  climb  by,  or  possibly  for  the  birds  to  sit 
on." 

"Are  you  sure  it  wasn't  tame  angels?"  asked 
Bickley. 

"  What  a  ridiculous  remark !  How  can  you  keep  an 
angel  in  a  cage?  I " 

"  Aeroplane !  "  I  almost  whispered  to  Bickley. 

"  You've  got  it !  "  he  answered.  "  The  framework 
of  an  aeroplane  and  a  jolly  large  one,  too.  Only  why 
hasn't  it  oxidised  ?  " 

"  Some  indestructible  metal,"  I  suggested.  "  Gold, 
for  instance,  does  not  oxidise." 

He  nodded  and  said: 

"  We  shall  have  to  dig  it  out.  The  dust  is  feet  thick 
about  it;  we  can  do  nothing  without  spades.  Come  on." 

We  went  round  to  the  end  of  the  structure,  whatever 
it  might  be,  and  presently  came  to  another.  Again  we 
went  on  and  came  to  another,  all  of  them  being  berthed 
exactly  in  line. 

"  What  did  I  tell  you  ? "  said  Bickley  in  a  voice  of 
triumph.  "  A  whole  garage  full,  a  regular  fleet  of 
aeroplanes ! " 

"  That  must  be  nonsense,"  said  Bastin,  "  for  I  am 
quite  sure  that  these  Orofenans  cannot  make  such  things. 
Indeed  they  have  no  metal,  and  even  cut  the  throats  of 
pigs  with  wooden  knives." 

Now  I  began  to  walk  forward,  bearing  to  the  left  so 
as  to  regain  our  former  line.  We  could  do  nothing 
with  these  metal  skeletons,  and  I  felt  that  there  must  be 
more  to  find  beyond.  Presently  I  saw  something  loom- 
ing ahead  of  me  and  quickened  my  pace,  only  to  recoil. 
For  there,  not  thirty  feet  away  and  perhaps  three  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  suddenly  ap- 
peared what  looked  like  a  gigantic  man.  Tommy  saw 


The  Island  in  the  Lake  123 

it  also  and  barked  as  dogs  do  when  they  are  frightened, 
and  the  sound  of  his  yaps  echoed  endlessly  from  every 
quarter,  which  scared  him  to  silence.  Recovering  my- 
self I  went  forward,  for  now  I  guessed  the  truth.  It 
was  not  a  man  but  a  statue. 

The  thing  stood  upon  a  huge  base  which  lessened 
by  successive  steps,  eight  of  them,  I  think,  to  its  summit. 
The  foot  of  this  base  may  have  been  a  square  of  fifty 
feet  or  rather  more;  the  real  support  or  pedestal  of  the 
statue,  however,  was  only  a  square  of  about  six  feet. 
The  figure  itself  was  little  above  life-size,  or  at  any 
rate  above  our  life-size,  say  seven  feet  in  height.  It 
was  very  peculiar  in  sundry  ways. 

To  begin  with,  nothing  of  the  body  was  visible,  for 
it  was  swathed  like  a  corpse.  From  these  wrappings 
projected  one  arm,  the  right,  in  the  hand  of  which  was 
the  likeness  of  a  lighted  torch.  The  head  was  not  veiled. 
It  was  that  of  a  man,  long-nosed,  thin-lipped,  stern- 
visaged;  the  countenance  pervaded  by  an  awful  and 
unutterable  calm,  as  deep  as  that  of  Buddha  only  less 
benign.  On  the  brow  was  a  wreathed  head-dress,  not 
unlike  an  Eastern  turban,  from  which  sprang  two  little 
wings  resembling  in  some  degree  those  on  the  famous 
Greek  head  of  Hypnos,  lord  of  Sleep.  Between  the 
folds  of  the  wrappings  on  the  back  sprang  two  other 
wings,  enormous  wings  bent  like  those  of  a  bird  about 
to  take  flight  Indeed  the  whole  attitude  of  the  figure 
suggested  that  it  was  springing  from  earth  to  air.  It 
was  executed  in  black  basalt  or  some  stone  of  the  sort, 
and  very  highly  finished.  For  instance,  on  the  bare 
feet  and  the  arm  which  held  the  torch  could  be  felt  every 
muscle  and  even  some  of  the  veins.  In  the  same  way 
the  details  of  the  skull  were  perfectly  perceptible  to  the 
;touch,  although  at  first  sight  not  visible  on  the  marble 


124  When  the  World  Shook 

surface.  This  was  ascertained  by  climbing  on  the 
pedestal  and  feeling  the  face  with  our  hands. 

Here  I  may  say  that  its  modelling  as  well  as  that  of 
the  feet  and  the  arm  rilled  Bickley,  who,  of  course,  was 
a  highly  trained  anatomist,  with  absolute  amazement. 
He  said  that  he  would  never  have  thought  it  possible 
that  such  accuracy  could  have  been  reached  by  an  artist 
working  in  so  hard  a  material. 

When  the  others  had  arrived  we  studied  this  relic  as 
closely  as  our  two  candles  would  allow,  and  in  turn 
expressed  our  opinions  of  its  significance.  Bastin 
thought  that  if  those  things  down  there  were  really  the 
remains  of  aeroplanes,  which  he  did  not  believe,  the 
statue  had  something  to  do  with  flying,  as  was  shown 
by  the  fact  that  it  had  wings  on  its  head  and  shoulders. 
Also,  he  added,  after  examining  the  face,  the  head  was 
uncommonly  like  that  of  the  idol  that  he  had  blown  up. 
It  had  the  same  long  nose  and  severe  shut  mouth.  If 
he  was  right,  this  was  probably  another  effigy  of  Oro 
which  we  should  do  well  to  destroy  at  once  before  the 
islanders  came  to  worship  it. 

Bickley  ground  his  teeth  as  he  listened  to  him. 

"Destroy  that!"  he  gasped.  "Destroy!  Oh! 
you,  you— early  Christian." 

Here  I  may  state  that  Bastin  was  quite  right,  as  we 
proved  subsequently  when  we  compared  the  head  of  the 
fetish,  which,  as  it  will  be  remembered,  he  had  brought 
away  with  him,  with  that  of  the  statue.  Allowing 
for  an  enormous  debasement  of  art,  they  were  essen- 
tially identical  in  the  facial  characteristics.  This  would 
suggest  the  descent  of  a  tradition  through  countless 
generations.  Or  of  course  it  may  have  been  accidental. 
I  am  sure  I  do  not  know,  but  I  think  it  possible  that 
for  unknown  centuries  other  old  statues  may  have 


The  Island  in  the  Lake  125 

existed  in  Orofena  from  which  the  idol  was  copied.  Or 
some  daring  and  impious  spirit  may  have  found  his 
way  to  the  cave  in  past  ages  and  fashioned  the  local  god 
upon  this  ancient  model. 

Bickley  was  struck  at  once,  as  I  had  been,  with  the 
resemblance  of  the  figure  to  that  of  the  Egyptian  Osiris. 
Of  course  there  were  differences.  For  instance,  instead 
of  the  crook  and  the  scourge,  this  divinity  held  a  torch. 
Again,  in  place  of  the  crown  of  Egypt  it  wore  a  winged 
head-dress,  though  it  is  true  this  was  not  very  far  re- 
moved from  the  winged  disc  of  that  country.  The 
wings  that  sprang  from  its  shoulders,  however,  sug- 
gested Babylonia  rather  than  Egypt,  or  the  Assyrian 
bulls  that  are  similarly  adorned.  All  of  these  symbolical 
ideas  might  have  been  taken  from  that  figure.  But 
what  was  it  ?  What  was  it  ? 

In  a  flash  the  answer  came  to  me.  A  representation 
of  the  spirit  of  Death!  Neither  more  nor  less.  There 
was  the  shroud;  there  the  cold,  inscrutable  countenance 
suggesting  mysteries  that  it  hid.  But  the  torch  and  the 
wings?  Well,  the  torch  was  that  which  lighted  souls 
to  the  other  world,  and  on  the  wings  they  flew  thither. 
Whoever  fashioned  that  statue  hoped  for  another  life, 
or  so  I  was  convinced. 

I  explained  my  ideas.  Bastin  thought  them  fanciful 
and  preferred  his  notion  of  a  flying  man,  since  by  con- 
stitution he  was  unable  to  discover  anything  spiritual 
in  any  religion  except  his  own.  Bickley  agreed  that  it 
was  probably  an  allegorical  representation  of  death  but 
sniffed  at  my  interpretation  of  the  wings  and  the  torch, 
since  by  constitution  he  could  not  believe  that  the  folly 
of  a  belief  in  immortality  could  have  developed  so  early 
in  the  world,  that  is,  among  a  highly  civilised  people 
such  as  must  have  produced  this  statue. 


126  When  the  World  Shook 

What  we  could  none  of  us  understand  was  why  this 
ominous  image  with  its  dead,  cold  face  should  have  been 
placed  in  an  aerodrome,  nor  in  fact  did  we  ever  discover. 
Possibly  it  was  there  long  before  the  cave  was  put  to 
this  use.  At  first  the  place  may  have  been  a  temple  and 
have  so  remained  until  circumstances  forced  the  wor- 
shippers to  change  their  habits,  or  even  their  Faith. 

We  examined  this  wondrous  work  and  the  pedestal 
on  which  it  stood  as  closely  as  we  were  able  by  the  dim 
light  of  our  candles.  I  was  anxious  to  go  further  and 
see  what  lay  beyond  it ;  indeed  we  did  walk  a  few  paces, 
twenty  perhaps,  onward  into  the  recesses  of  the  cave. 

Then  Bickley  discovered  something  that  looked  like 
the  mouth  of  a  well  down  which  he  nearly  tumbled,  and 
Bastin  began  to  complain  that  he  was  hot  and  very 
thirsty;  also  to  point  out  that  he  wished  for  no  more 
caves  and  idols  at  present. 

"  Look  here,  Arbuthnot,"  said  Bickley,  "  these  candles 
are  burning  low  and  we  don't  want  to  use  up  more  if 
we  can  prevent  it,  for  we  may  need  what  we  have  got 
very  badly  later  on.  Now,  according  to  my  pocket  com- 
pass the  mouth  of  this  cave  points  due  east;  probably 
at  the  beginning  it  was  orientated  to  the  rising  sun  for 
purposes  of  astronomical  observation  or  of  worship  at 
certain  periods  of  the  year.  From  the  position  of  the 
sun  when  we  landed  on  the  rock  this  morning  I  imagine 
that  just  now  it  rises  almost  exactly  opposite  to  the 
mouth  of  the  cave.  If  this  is  so,  to-morrow  at  dawn,  for 
a  time  at  least,  the  light  should  penetrate  as  far  as  the 
statue,  and  perhaps  further.  What  I  suggest  is  that  we 
should  wait  till  then  to  explore." 

I  agreed  with  him,  especially  as  I  was  feeling  tired, 
being  exhausted  by  wonder,  and  wanted  time  to  think. 
So  we  turned  back.  As  we  did  so  I  missed  Tommy 


The  Island  in  the  Lake  127 

and  inquired  anxiously  where  he  was,  being  afraid  lest 
he  might  have  tumbled  down  the  well-like  hole. 

"  He's  all  right,"  said  Bastin.  "  I  saw  him  sniffing 
at  the  base  of  that  statue.  I  expect  there  is  a  rat  in 
there,  or  perhaps  a  snake." 

Sure  enough  when  we  reached  it  there  was  Tommy 
with  his  black  nose  pressed  against  the  lowest  of  the 
tiers  that  formed  the  base  of  the  statue,  and  sniffing 
loudly.  Also  he  was  scratching  in  the  dust  as  a  dog 
does  when  he  has  winded  a  rabbit  in  a  hole.  So  en- 
grossed was  he  in  this  occupation  that  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  I  coaxed  him  to  leave  the  place. 

I  did  not  think  much  of  the  incident  at  that  time, 
but  afterwards  it  came  back  to  me,  and  I  determined 
to  investigate  those  stones  at  the  first  opportunity. 

Passing  the  wrecks  of  the  machines,  we  emerged  on 
to  the  causeway  without  accident.  After  we  had  rested 
and  washed  we  set  to  work  to  draw  our  canoe  with  its 
precious  burden  of  food  right  into  the  mouth  of  the 
cave,  where  we  hid  it  as  well  as  we  could. 

This  done  we  went  for  a  walk  round  the  base  of  the 
peak.  This  proved  to  be  a  great  deal  larger  than  we 
had  imagined,  over  two  miles  in  circumference  indeed. 
All  about  it  was  a  belt  of  fertile  land,  as  I  suppose  de- 
posited there  by  the  waters  of  the  great  lake  and  result- 
ing from  the  decay  of  vegetation.  Much  of  this  belt 
was  covered  with  ancient  forest  ending  in  mud  flats  that 
appeared  to  have  been  thrown  up  recently,  perhaps  at 
the  time  of  the  tidal  wave  which  bore  us  to  Orofena. 
On  the  higher  part  of  the  belt  were  many  of  the  extraor- 
dinary crater-like  holes  that  I  have  mentioned  as  being 
prevalent  on  the  main  island;  indeed  the  place  had  all 
the  appearance  of  having  been  subjected  to  a  terrific 
and  continuous  bombardment. 


. 

128  When  the  World  Shook 

When  we  had  completed  its  circuit  we  set  to  work  to 
climb  the  peak  in  order  to  explore  the  terraces  of  which 
I  have  spoken  and  the  ruins  which  I  had  seen  through 
my  field-glasses.  It  was  quite  true;  they  were  terraces 
cut  with  infinite  labour  out  of  the  solid  rock,  and  on 
them  had  once  stood  a  city,  now  pounded  into  dust  and 
fragments.  We  struggled  over  the  broken  blocks  of 
stone  to  what  we  had  taken  for  a  temple,  which  stood 
near  the  lip  of  the  crater,  for  without  doubt  this  mound 
was  an  extinct  volcano,  or  rather  its  crest.  All  we  could 
make  out  when  we  arrived  was  that  here  had  once  stood 
some  great  building,  for  its  courts  could  still  be  traced; 
also  there  lay  about  fragments  of  steps  and  pillars. 

Apparently  the  latter  had  once  been  carved,  but  the 
passage  of  innumerable  ages  had  obliterated  the  work 
and  we  could  not  turn  these  great  blocks  over  to  discover 
if  any  remained  beneath.  It  was  as  though  the  god  Thor 
had  broken  up  the  edifice  with  his  hammer,  or  Jove  had 
shattered  it  with  his  thunderbolts;  nothing  else  would 
account  for  that  utter  wreck,  except,  as  Bickley  remarked 
significantly,  the  scientific  use  of  high  explosives. 

Following  the  line  of  what  seemed  to  have  been  a 
road,  we  came  to  the  edge  of  the  volcano  and  found, 
as  we  expected,  the  usual  depression  out  of  which  fire 
and  lava  had  once  been  cast,  as  from  Hecla  or  Vesuvius. 
It  was  now  a  lake  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  across. 
Indeed  it  had  been  thus  in  the  ancient  days  when  the 
buildings  stood  upon  the  terraces,  for  we  saw  the  re- 
mains of  steps  leading  down  to  the  water.  Perhaps  it 
had  served  as  the  sacred  lake  of  the  temple. 

We  gazed  with  wonderment  and  then,  wearied  out, 
scrambled  back  through  the  ruins,  which,  by  the  way, 
were  of  a  different  stone  from  the  lava  of  the  mountain, 
to  the  mouth  of  the  great  cave. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  DWELLERS  IN  THE  TOMB 

BY  now  it  was  drawing  towards  sunset,  so  we  made  such 
preparations  as  we  could  for  the  night.  One  of  these 
was  to  collect  dry  driftwood,  of  which  an  abundance  lay 
upon  the  shore,  to  serve  us  for  firing,  though  unfor- 
tunately we  had  nothing  that  we  could  cook  for  our 
meal. 

While  we  were  thus  engaged  we  saw  a  canoe  ap- 
proaching the  table-rock  and  perceived  that  in  it  were 
the  chief  Marama  and  a  priest.  After  hovering  about 
for  a  while  they  paddled  the  canoe  near  enough  to  allow 
of  conversation  which,  taking  no  notice  of  their  pres- 
ence, we  left  it  to  them  to  begin. 

"  O,  Friend-from-the-Sea,"  called  Marama,  address- 
ing myself,  "  we  come  to  pray  you  and  the  Great  Healer 
to  return  to  us  to  be  our  guests  as  before.  The  people 
are  covered  with  darkness  because  of  the  loss  of  your 
wisdom,  and  the  sick  cry  aloud  for  the  Healer;  indeed 
two  of  those  whom  he  has  cut  with  knives  are  dying." 

"And  what  of  the  Bellower?"  I  asked,  indicating 
Bastin. 

"  We  should  like  to  see  him  back  also,  Friend-from- 
the-Sea,  that  we  may  sacrifice  and  eat  him,  who  de- 
stroyed our  god  with  fire  and  caused  the  Healer  to  kill 
his  priest." 

"  That  is  most  unjust,"  exclaimed  Bastin.  "  I  deeply 
regret  the  blood  that  was  shed  on  the  occasion,  un- 
necessarily as  I  think." 

129 


130  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Then  go  and  atone  for  it  with  your  own,"  said 
Bickley,  "  and  everybody  will  be  pleased." 

Waving  to  them  to  be  silent,  I  said : 

"  Are  you  mad,  Marama,  that  you  should  ask  us  to 
return  to  sojourn  among  people  who  tried  to  kill  us, 
merely  because  the  Bellower  caused  fire  to  burn  an 
image  of  wood  and  its  head  to  fly  from  its  shoulders, 
just  to  show  you  that  it  had  no  power  to  hold  itself 
together,  although  you  call  it  a  god?  Not  so,  we  wash 
our  hands  of  you;  we  leave  you  to  go  your  own  way 
while  we  go  ours,  till  perchance  in  a  day  to  come,  after 
many  misfortunes  have  overtaken  you,  you  creep  about 
our  feet  and  with  prayers  and  offerings  beg  us  to 
return." 

I  paused  to  observe  the  effect  of  my  words.  It  was 
excellent,  for  both  Marama  and  the  priest  wrung  their 
hands  and  groaned.  Then  I  went  on: 

"^Meanwhile  we  have  something  to  tell  you.  We 
have  entered  the  cave  where  you  said  no  man  might  set 
a  foot,  and  have  seen  him  who  sits  within,  the  true 
god."  (Here  Bastin  tried  to  interrupt,  but  was  sup- 
pressed by  Bickley.) 

They  looked  at  each  other  in  a  frightened  way  and 
groaned  more  loudly  than  before. 

"  He  sends  you  a  message,  which,  as  he  told  us  of 
your  approach,  we  came  to  the  shore  to  deliver  to  you." 

"  How  can  you  say  that  ? "  began  Bastin,  but  was 
again  violently  suppressed  by  Bickley. 

"  It  is  that  he,  the  real  Oro,  rejoices  that  the  false 
Oro,  whose  face  is  copied  from  his  face,  has  been  de- 
stroyed. It  is  that  he  commands  you  day  by  day  to 
bring  food  in  plenty  and  lay  it  upon  the  Rock  of 
Offerings,  not  forgetting  a  supply  of  fresh  fish  from  the 
sea,  and  with  it  all  those  things  that  are  stored  in  the 


The  Dwellers  in  the  Tomb  131 

house  wherein  we,  the  strangers  from  the  sea,  deigned 
to  dwell  awhile  until  we  left  you  because  in  your 
wickedness  you  wished  to  murder  us." 

"And  if  we  refuse — what  then?"  asked  the  priest, 
speaking  for  the  first  time. 

"  Then  Oro  will  send  death  and  destruction  upon 
you.  Then  your  food  shall  fail  and  you  shall  perish  of 
sickness  and  want,  and  the  Oromatuas,  the  spirits  of  the 
great  dead,  shall  haunt  you  in  your  sleep,  and  Oro  shall 
eat  up  your  souls." 

At  these  horrible  threats  both  of  them  uttered  a  kind 
of  wail,  after  which  Marama  asked : 

"  And  if  we  consent,  what  then,  Friend-from- 
the-Sea?" 

"  Then,  perchance,"  I  answered,  "  in  some  day  to 
come  we  may  return  to  you,  that  I  may  give  you  of  my 
wisdom  and  the  Great  Healer  may  cure  your  sick  and 
the  Bellower  may  lead  you  through  his  gate,  and  in 
his  kindness  make  you  to  see  with  his  eyes." 

This  last  clause  of  my  ultimatum  did  not  seem  to 
appeal  to  the  priest,  who  argued  a  while  with  Marama, 
though  what  he  said  we  could  not  hear.  In  the  end  he 
appeared  to  give  way.  At  any  rate  Marama  called  out 
that  all  should  be  done  as  we  wished,  and  that  mean- 
while they  prayed  us  to  intercede  with  Oro  in  the  cave, 
and  to  keep  back  the  ghosts  from  haunting  them,  and 
to  protect  them  from  misfortune.  I  replied  that  we 
would  do  our  best,  but  could  guarantee  nothing  since 
their  offence  was  very  great. 

Then,  to  show  that  the  conversation  was  at  an  end, 
we  walked  away  with  dignity,  pushing  Bastin  in  front 
of  us,  lest  he  should  spoil  the  effect  by  some  of  his  ill- 
timed  and  often  over-true  remarks. 

"  That's  capital,"  said  Bickley,  when  we  were  out  of 


132  When  the  World  Shook 

hearing.  "  The  enemy  has  capitulated.  We  can  stop 
here  as  long  as  we  like,  provisioned  from  the  mainland, 
and  if  for  any  reason  we  wish  to  leave,  be  sure  of  our 
line  of  retreat." 

"I  don't  know  what  you  call  capital,"  exclaimed 
Bastin.  "  It  seems  to  me  that  all  the  lies  which  Arbuth- 
not  has  just  told  are  sufficient  to  bring  a  judgment  upon 
us.  Indeed,  I  think  that  I  will  go  back  with  Marama 
and  explain  the  truth." 

"  I  never  before  knew  anybody  who  was  so  anxious 
to  be  cooked  and  eaten,"  remarked  Bickley.  "  More- 
over, you  are  too  late,  for  the  canoe  is  a  hundred  yards 
away  by  now,  and  you  shan't  have  ours.  Remember 
the  Pauline  maxims,  old  fellow,  which  you  are  so  fond 
of  quoting,  and  be  all  things  to  all  men,  and  another 
that  is  more  modern,  that  when  you  are  at  Rome,  you 
must  do  as  the  Romans  do;  also  a  third,  that  necessity 
has  no  law,  and  for  the  matter  of  that,  a  fourth,  that  all 
is  fair  in  love  and  war." 

"  I  am  sure,  Bickley,  that  Paul  never  meant  his  words 
to  bear  the  debased  sense  which  you  attribute  to 

them "  began  Bastin,  but  at  this  point  I  hustled 

him  off  to  light  a  fire — a  process  at  which  I  pointed  out 
he  had  shown  himself  an  expert. 

We  slept  that  night  under  the  overhanging  rock  just 
to  one  side  of  the  cave,  not  in  the  mouth,  because  of 
the  draught  which  drew  in  and  out  of  the  great  place. 
In  that  soft  and  balmy  clime  this  was  no  hardship,  al- 
though we  lacked  blankets.  And  yet,  tired  though  I 
was,  I  could  not  rest  as  I  should  have  done.  Bastin 
snored  away  contentedly,  quite  unaffected  by  his  escape 
which  to  him  was  merely  an  incident  in  the  day's  work; 
and  so,  too,  slumbered  Bickley,  except  that  he  did  not 
snore.  But  the  amazement  and  the  mystery  of  all  that 


The  Dwellers  in  the  Tomb  133 

we  had  discovered  and  of  all  that  might  be  left  for  us 
to  discover,  held  me  back  from  sleep. 

What  did  it  mean?  What  could  it  mean?  My 
nerves  were  taut  as  harp  strings  and  seemed  to  vibrate 
to  the  touch  of  invisible  fingers,  although  I  could  not 
interpret  the  music  that  they  made.  Once  or  twice  also 
I  thought  I  heard  actual  music  with  my  physical  ears, 
and  that  of  a  strange  quality.  Soft  and  low  and  dream- 
ful, it  appeared  to  well  from  the  recesses  of  the  vast 
cave,  a  wailing  song  in  an  unknown  tongue  from  the 
lips  of  women,  or  of  a  woman,  multiplied  mysteriously 
by  echoes.  This,  however,  must  have  been  pure  fancy, 
since  there  was  no  singer  there. 

Presently  I  dozed  off,  to  be  awakened  by  the  sudden 
sound  of  a  great  fish  leaping  in  the  lake.  I  sat  up  and 
stared,  fearing  lest  it  might  be  the  splash  of  a  paddle, 
for  I  could  not  put  from  my  mind  the  possibility  of 
attack.  All  I  saw,  however,  was  the  low  line  of  the 
distant  shore,  and  above  it  the  bright  and  setting  stars 
that  heralded  the  coming  of  the  sun.  Then  I  woke  the 
others,  and  we  washed  and  ate,  since  once  the  sun  rose 
time  would  be  precious. 

At  length  it  appeared,  splendid  in  a  cloudless  sky, 
and,  as  I  had  hoped,  directly  opposite  to  the  mouth  of 
the  cave.  Taking  our  candles  and  some  stout  pieces  of 
driftwood  which,  with  our  knives,  we  had  shaped  on 
the  previous  evening  to  serve  us  as  levers  and  rough 
shovels,  we  entered  the  cave.  Bickley  and  I  were  filled 
with  excitement  and  hope  of  what  we  knew  not,  but 
Bastin  showed  little  enthusiasm  for  our  quest.  His 
heart  was  with  his  half-converted  savages  beyond  the 
lake,  and  of  them,  quite  rightly  I  have  no  doubt,  he 
thought  more  than  he  did  of  all  the  archaeological 
treasures  in  the  whole  earth.  Still,  he  came,  bearing 


134'  When  the  World  Shook 

the  blackened  head  of  Oro  with  him  which,  with  un- 
conscious humour,  he  had  used  as  a  pillow  through  the 
night  because,  as  he  said,  "it  was  after  all  softer  than 
stone."  Also,  I  believe  that  in  his  heart  he  hoped  that 
he  might  find  an  opportunity  of  destroying  the  bigger 
and  earlier  edition  of  Oro  in  the  cave,  before  it  was  dis- 
covered by  the  natives  who  might  wish  to  make  it  an 
object  of  worship.  Tommy  came  also,  with  greater 
alacrity  than  I  expected,  since  dogs  do  not  as  a  rule  like 
dark  places.  When  we  reached  the  statue  I  learned  the 
reason;  he  remembered  the  smell  he  had  detected  at  its 
base  on  the  previous  day,  which  Bastin  supposed  to 
proceed  from  a  rat,  and  was  anxious  to  continue  his 
investigations. 

We  went  straight  to  the  statue,  although  Bickley 
passed  the  half -buried  machines  with  evident  regret. 
As  we  had  hoped,  the  strong  light  of  the  rising  sun  fell 
upon  it  in  a  vivid  ray,  revealing  all  its  wondrous  work- 
manship and  the  majesty — for  no  other  word  describes 
it — of  the  somewhat  terrifying  countenance  that  ap- 
peared above  the  wrappings  of  the  shroud.  Indeed,  I 
was  convinced  that  originally  this  monument  had  been 
placed  here  in  order  that  on  certain  days  of  the  year  the 
sun  might  fall  upon  it  thus,  when  probably  worshippers 
assembled  to  adore  their  hallowed  symbol.  After  all, 
this  was  common  in  ancient  days:  witness  the  instance 
of  the  awful  Three  who  sit  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  the 
temple  of  Abu  Simbel,  on  the  Nile. 

We  gazed  and  gazed  our  fill,  at  least  Bickley  and 
I  did,  for  Bastin  was  occupied  in  making  a  careful 
comparison  between  the  head  of  his  wooden  Oro  and 
that  of  the  statue. 

'  There  is  no  doubt  that  they  are  very  much  alike," 
he  said.     "  Why,  whatever  is  that  dog  doing  ?    I  think 


The  Dwellers  in  the  Tomb  135 

it  is  going  mad,"  and  he  pointed  to  Tommy  who  was 
digging  furiously  at  the  base  of  the  lowest  step,  as  at 
home  I  have  seen  him  do  at  roots  that  sheltered  a 
rabbit. 

Tommy's  energy  was  so  remarkable  that  at  length  it 
seriously  attracted  our  attention.  Evidently  he  meant 
that  it  should  do  so,  for  occasionally  he  sprang  back 
to  me  barking,  then  returned  and  sniffed  and  scratched. 
Bickley  knelt  down  and  smelt  at  the  stone. 

"  It  is  an  odd  thing,  Humphrey,"  he  said,  "  but  there 
is  a  strange  odour  here,  a  very  pleasant  odour  like  that 
of  sandal-wood  or  attar  of  roses." 

"I  never  heard  of  a  rat  that  smelt  like  sandal-wood 
or  attar  of  roses,"  said  Bastin.  "  Look  out  that  it  isn't 
a  snake." 

I  knelt  down  beside  Bickley,  and  in  clearing  away 
the  deep  dust  from  what  seemed  to  be  the  bottom  of  the 
step,  which  was  perhaps  four  feet  in  height,  by  accident 
thrust  my  amateur  spade  somewhat  strongly  against  its 
base  where  it  rested  upon  the  rocky  floor. 

Next  moment  a  wonder  came  to  pass.  The  whole 
massive  rock  began  to  turn  outwards  as  though  upon  a 
pivot!  I  saw  it  coming  and  grabbed  Bickley  by  the 
collar,  dragging  him  back  so  that  we  just  rolled  clear 
before  the  great  block,  which  must  have  weighed  several 
tons,  fell  down  and  crushed  us.  Tommy  saw  it  too, 
and  fled,  though  a  little  late,  for  the  edge  of  the  block 
caught  the  tip  of  his  tail  and  caused  him  to  emit  a 
most  piercing  howl.  But  we  did  not  think  of  Tommy 
and  his  woes;  we  did  not  think  of  our  own  escape  or  of 
anything  else  because  of  the  marvel  that  appeared  to 
us.  Seated  there  upon  the  ground,  after  our  backward 
tumble,  we  could  see  into  the  space  which  lay  behind 
the  fallen  step,  for  there  the  light  of  the  sun  penetrated. 


136  When  the  World  Shook 

The  first  idea  it  gave  me  was  that  of  the  jewelled 
shrine  of  some  mediaeval  saint  which,  by  good  fortune, 
had  escaped  the  plunderers;  there  are  still  such  existing 
in  the  world.  It  shone  and  glittered,  apparently  with 
gold  and  diamonds,  although,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there 
were  no  diamonds,  nor  was  it  gold  which  gleamed,  but 
some  ancient  metal,  or  rather  amalgam,  which  is  now 
lost  to  the  world,  the  same  that  was  used  in  the  tubes 
of  the  air-machines.  I  think  that  it  contained  gold,  but 
I  do  not  know.  At  any  rate,  it  was  equally  lasting  and 
even  more  beautiful,  though  lighter  in  colour. 

For  the  rest  this  adorned  recess  which  resembled 
that  of  a  large  funeral  vault,  occupying  the  whole  space 
beneath  the  base  of  the  statue  that  was  supported  on 
its  arch,  was  empty  save  for  two  flashing  objects  that 
lay  side  by  side  but  with  nearly  the  whole  width  of  the 
vault  between  them. 

I  pointed  at  them  to  Bickley  with  my  finger,  for 
really  I  could  not  speak. 

"  Coffins,  by  Jove !  "  he  whispered.  "  Glass  or  crystal 
coffins  and  people  in  them.  Come  on !  " 

A  few  seconds  later  we  were  crawling  into  that  vault 
while  Bastin,  still  nursing  the  head  of  Oro  as  though 
it  were  a  baby,  stood  confused  outside  muttering  some- 
thing about  desecrating  hallowed  graves. 

Just  as  we  reached  the  interior,  owing  to  the 
heightening  of  the  sun,  the  light  passed  away,  leaving 
us  in  a  kind  of  twilight.  Bickley  produced  carriage 
candles  from  his  pocket  and  fumbled  for  matches.  While 
he  was  doing  so  I  noticed  two  things — firstly,  that  the 
place  really  did  smell  like  a  scent-shop,  and,  secondly, 
that  the  coffins  seemed  to  glow  with  a  kind  of  phosphor- 
escent light  of  their  own,  not  very  strong,  but  sufficient 


The  Dwellers  in  the  Tomb  137 

to  reveal  their  outlines  in  the  gloom.  Then  the  candles 
burnt  up  and  we  saw. 

Within  the  coffin  that  stood  on  our  left  hand  as  we 
entered,  for  this  crystal  was  as  transparent  as  plate 
glass,  lay  a  most  wonderful  old  man,  clad  in  a  gleam- 
ing, embroidered  robe.  His  long  hair,  which  was  parted 
in  the  middle,  as  we  could  see  beneath  the  edge  of  the 
pearl-sewn  and  broidered  cap  he  wore,  also  his  beard 
were  snowy  white.  The  man  was  tall,  at  least  six  feet 
four  inches  in  height,  and  rather  spare.  His  hands  were 
long  and  thin,  very  delicately  made,  as  were  his 
sandalled  feet 

But  it  was  his  face  that  fixed  our  gaze,  for  it  was 
marvellous,  like  the  face  of  a  god,  and,  as  we  noticed  at 
once,  with  some  resemblance  to  that  of  the  statue  above. 
Thus  the  brow  was  broad  and  massive,  the  nose  straight 
and  long,  the  mouth  stern  and  clear-cut,  while  the 
cheekbones  were  rather  high,  and  the  eyebrows  arched. 
Such  are  the  characteristics  of  many  handsome  old  men 
of  good  blood,  and  as  the  mummies  of  Seti  and  others 
show  us,  such  they  have  been  for  thousands  of  years. 
Only  this  man  differed  from  all  others  because  of  the 
fearful  dignity  stamped  upon  his  features.  Looking  at 
him  I  began  to  think  at  once  of  the  prophet  Elijah  as 
he  must  have  appeared  rising  to  heaven,  enhanced  by 
the  more  earthly  glory  of  Solomon,  for  although  the 
appearance  of  these  patriarchs  is  unknown,  of  them  one 
conceives  ideas.  Only  it  seemed  probable  that  Elijah 
may  have  looked  more  benign.  Here  there  was  no 
benignity,  only  terrible  force  and  infinite  wisdom. 

Contemplating  him  I  shivered  a  little  and  felt  thank- 
ful that  he  was  dead.  For  to  tell  the  truth  I  was  afraid 
of  that  awesome  countenance  which,  I  should  add,  was 


138  When  the  World  Shook 

of  the  whiteness  of  paper,  although  the  cheeks  still 
showed  tinges  of  colour,  so  perfect  was  the  preservation 
of  the  corpse. 

I  was  still  gazing  at  it  when  Bickley  said  in  a  voice 
of  amazement : 

"  I  say,  look  here,  in  the  other  coffin." 

I  turned,  looked,  and  nearly  collapsed  on  the  floor 
of  the  vault,  since  beauty  can  sometimes  strike  us  like 
a  blow.  Oh!  there  before  me  lay  all  loveliness,  such 
loveliness  that  there  burst  from  my  lips  an  involuntary 
cry: 

"  Alas !  that  she  should  be  dead ! " 

A  young  woman,  I  supposed,  at  least  she  looked 
young,  perhaps  five  or  six  and  twenty  years  of  age, 
or  so  I  judged.  There  she  lay,  her  tall  and  delicate 
shape  half  hidden  in  masses  of  rich-hued  hair  in  colour 
of  a  ruddy  blackness.  I  know  not  how  else  to  describe 
it,  since  never  have  I  seen  any  of  the  same  tint.  More- 
over, it  shone  with  a  life  of  its  own  as  though  it  had 
been  dusted  with  gold.  From  between  the  masses  of 
this  hair  appeared  a  face  which  I  can  only  call  divine. 
There  was  every  beauty  that  woman  can  boast,  from 
the  curving  eyelashes  of  extraordinary  length  to  the 
sweet  and  human  mouth.  To  these  charms  also  were 
added  a  wondrous  smile  and  an  air  of  kind  dignity, 
very  different  from  the  fierce  pride  stamped  upon  the 
countenance  of  the  old  man  who  was  her  companion  in 
death. 

She  was  clothed  in  some  close-fitting  robe  of  white 
broidered  with  gold;  pearls  were  about  her  neck,  lying 
far  down  upon  the  perfect  bosom,  a  girdle  of  gold  and 
shining  gems  encircled  her  slender  waist,  and  on  her 
little  feet  were  sandals  fastened  with  red  stones  like 
rubies.  In  truth,  she  was  a  splendid  creature,  and  yet, 


The  Dwellers  in  the  Tomb  139 

I  know  not  how,  her  beauty  suggested  more  of  the  spirit 
than  of  the  flesh.  Indeed,  in  a  way,  it  was  unearthly. 
My  senses  were  smitten,  it  pulled  at  my  heart-strings, 
and  yet  its  unutterable  strangeness  seemed  to  awake 
memories  within  me,  though  of  what  I  could  not  tell. 
A  wild  fancy  came  to  me  that  I  must  have  known  this 
heavenly  creature  in  some  past  life. 

By  now  Bastin  had  joined  us,  and,  attracted  by  my 
exclamation  and  by  the  attitude  of  Bickley,  who  was 
staring  down  at  the  coffin  with  a  fixed  look  upon  his 
face,  not  unlike  that  of  a  pointer  when  he  scents  game, 
he  began  to  contemplate  the  wonder  within  it  in  his 
slow  way. 

"  Well,  I  never!  "  he  said.  "  Do  you  think  the  Glit- 
tering Lady  in  there  is  human  ?  " 

"  The  Glittering  Lady  is  dead,  but  I  suppose  that  she 
was  human  in  her  life,"  I  answered  in  an  awed  whisper. 

"  Of  course  she  is  dead,  otherwise  she  would  not  be 
in  that  glass  coffin.  I  think  I  should  like  to  read  the 
Burial  Service  over  her,  which  I  daresay  was  never  done 
when  she  was  put  in  there." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  she  is  dead  ?  "  asked  Bickley 
in  a  sharp  voice  and  speaking  for  the  first  time.  "  I 
have  seen  hundreds  of  corpses,  and  mummies  too,  but 
never  any  that  looked  like  these." 

I  stared  at  him.  It  was  strange  to  hear  Bickley,  the 
scoffer  at  miracles,  suggesting  that  this  greatest  of  all 
miracles  might  be  possible. 

"  They  must  have  been  here  a  long  time,"  I  said,  "  for 
although  human,  they  are  not,  I  think,  of  any  people 
known  to  the  world  to-day;  their  dress,  everything, 

shows  it,  though  perhaps  thousands  of  years  ago " 

and  I  stopped. 

"Quite  so,"  answered  Bickley;  "I  agree.     That  is 


140  When  the  World  Shook 

why  I  suggest  that  they  may  have  belonged  to  a  race 
who  knew  what  we  do  not,  namely,  how  to  suspend 
animation  for  great  periods  of  time." 

I  said  no  more,  nor  did  Bastin,  who  was  now  engaged 
in  studying  the  old  man,  and  for  once,  wonderstruck  and 
overcome.  Bickley,  however,  took  one  of  the  candles 
and  began  to  make  a  close  examination  of  the  coffins. 
So  did  Tommy,  who  sniffed  along  the  join  of  that  of 
the  Glittering  Lady  until  his  nose  reached  a  certain  spot, 
where  it  remained,  while  his  black  tail  began  to  wag  in 
a  delighted  fashion.  Bickley  pushed  him  away  and  in- 
vestigated. 

"  As  I  thought,"  he  said—"  air-holes.    See ! " 

I  looked,  and  there,  bored  through  the  crystal  of  the 
coffin  in  a  line  with  the  face  of  its  occupant,  were  a  num- 
ber of  little  holes  that  either  by  accident  or  design  out- 
lined the  shape  of  a  human  mouth. 

"  They  are  not  airtight,"  murmured  Bickley ;  "  and  if 
air  can  enter,  how  can  dead  flesh  remain  like  that  for 
ages  ?  " 

Then  he  continued  his  search  upon  the  other  side. 

"  The  lid  of  this  coffin  works  on  hinges,"  he  said. 
"  Here  they  are,  fashioned  of  the  crystal  itself.  A  living 
person  within  could  have  pulled  it  down  before  the 
senses  departed." 

"No,"  I  answered;  "for  look,  here  is  a  crystal  bolt 
at  the  end  and  it  is  shot  from  without." 

This  puzzled  him;  then  as  though  struck  by  an  idea, 
he  began  to  examine  the  other  coffin. 

"  I've  got  it !  "  he  exclaimed  presently.  "  The  old 
god  in  here  "  (somehow  we  all  thought  of  this  old  man 
as  not  quite  normal)  "shut  down  the  Glittering  Lady's 
coffin  and  bolted  it.  His  own  is  not  bolted,  although 
the  bolt  exists  in  the  same  place.  He  just  got  in  and 


The  Dwellers  in  the  Tomb 

pulled  down  the  lid.  Oh!  what  nonsense  I  am  talking 
— for  how  can  such  things  be?  Let  us  get  out  and 
think." 

So  we  crept  from  the  sepulchre  in  which  the  per- 
fumed air  had  begun  to  oppress  us  and  sat  ourselves 
down  upon  the  floor  of  the  cave,  where  for  a  while  we 
remained  silent. 

"  I  am  very  thirsty,"  said  Bastin  presently.  "  Those 
smells  seem  to  have  dried  me  up.  I  am  going  to  get 
some  tea — I  mean  water,  as  unfortunately  there  is  no 
tea,"  and  he  set  off  towards  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 

We  followed  him,  I  don't  quite  know  why,  except 
that  we  wished  to  breathe  freely  outside,  also  we  knew 
that  the  sepulchre  and  its  contents  would  be  as  safe  as 
they  had  been  for — well,  how  long? 

It  proved  to  be  a  beautiful  morning  outside.  We 
walked  up  and  down  enjoying  it  sub-consciously,  for 
really  our — that  is  Bickley's  and  my  own — intelligences 
were  concentrated  on  that  sepulchre  and  its  contents. 
Where  Bastin's  may  have  been  I  do  not  know,  perhaps 
in  a  visionary  teapot,  since  I  was  sure  that  it  would 
take  him  a  day  or  two  to  appreciate  the  significance  of 
our  discoveries.  At  any  rate,  he  wandered  off,  making 
no  remarks  about  them,  to  drink  water,  I  suppose. 

Presently  he  began  to  shout  to  us  from  the  end  of 
the  table-rock  and  we  went  to  see  the  reason  of  his 
noise.  It  proved  to  be  very  satisfactory,  for  while  we 
were  in  the  cave  the  Orofenans  had  brought  absolutely 
everything  belonging  to  us,  together  with  a  large  supply 
of  food  from  the  main  island.  Not  a  single  article  was 
missing;  even  our  books,  a  can  with  the  bottom  out, 
and  the  broken  pieces  of  a  little  pocket  mirror  had  been 
religiously  transported,  and  with  these  a  few  articles 
that  had  been  stolen  from  us,  notably  my  pocket-knife. 


142  When  the  World  Shook 

Evidently  a  great  taboo  had  been  laid  upon  all  our 
possessions.  They  were  now  carefully  arranged  in  one 
of  the  grooves  of  the  rock  that  Bickley  supposed  had 
been  made  by  the  wheels  of  aeroplanes,  which  was  why 
we  had  not  seen  them  at  once. 

Each  of  us  rushed  for  what  we  desired  most — Bastin 
for  one  of  the  canisters  of  tea,  I  for  my  diaries,  and 
Bickley  for  his  chest  of  instruments  and  medicines. 
These  were  removed  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  after 
them  the  other  things  and  the  food ;  also  a  bell  tent  and 
some  camp  furniture  that  we  had  brought  from  the 
ship.  Then  Bastin  made  some  tea  of  which  he  drank 
four  large  pannikins,  having  first  said  grace  over  it 
with  unwonted  fervour.  Nor  did  we  disdain  our  share 
of  the  beverage,  although  Bickley  preferred  cocoa  and 
I  coffee.  Cocoa  and  coffee  we  had  no  time  to  make 
then,  and  in  view  of  that  sepulchre  in  the  cave,  what 
had  we  to  do  with  cocoa  and  coffee? 

So  Bickley  and  I  said  to  each  other,  and  yet  presently 
he  changed  his  mind  and  in  a  special  metal  machine 
carefully  made  some  extremely  strong  black  coffee  which 
he  poured  into  a  thermos  flask,  previously  warmed  with 
hot  water,  adding  thereto  about  a  claret  glass  of  brandy. 
Also  he  extracted  certain  drugs  from  his  medicine-chest, 
and  with  them,  as  I  noted,  a  hypodermic  syringe,  which 
he  first  boiled  in  a  kettle  and  then  shut  up  in  a  little  tube 
with  a  glass  stopper. 

These  preparations  finished,  he  called  to  Tommy  to 
give  him  the  scraps  of  our  meal.  But  there  was  no 
Tommy.  The  dog  was  missing,  and  though  we  hunted 
everywhere  we  could  not  find  him.  Finally  we  con- 
cluded that  he  had  wandered  off  down  the  beach  on 
business  of  his  own  and  would  return  in  due  course, 
could  not  bother  about  Tommy  just  then. 


The  Dwellers  in  the  Tomb  143 

After  making  some  further  preparations  and  fidget- 
ing about  a  little,  Bickley  announced  that  as  we  had 
now  some  proper  paraffin  lamps  of  the  powerful  sort 
which  are  known  as  "  hurricane,"  he  proposed  by  their 
aid  to  carry  out  further  examinations  in  the  cave. 

"  I  think  I  shall  stop  where  I  am,"  said  Bastin, 
helping  himself  from  the  kettle  to  a  fifth  pannikin  of  tea. 
"  Those  corpses  are  very  interesting,  but  I  don't  see  any 
use  in  staring  at  them  again  at  present.  One  can  always 
do  that  at  any  time.  I  have  missed  Marama  once  already 
by  being  away  in  that  cave,  and  I  have  a  lot  to  say 
to  him  about  my  people;  I  don't  want  to  be  absent  in 
case  he  should  return." 

"  To  wash  up  the  things,  I  suppose,"  said  Bickley 
with  a  sniff ;  "  or  perhaps  to  eat  the  tea-leaves." 

"  Well,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  have  noticed  that  these 
natives  have  a  peculiar  taste  for  tea-leaves.  I  think  they 
believe  them  to  be  a  medicine,  but  I  don't  suppose  they 
would  come  so  far  for  them,  though  perhaps  they  might 
in  the  hope  of  getting  the  head  of  Oro.  Anyhow,  I  am 
going  to  stop  here." 

"  Pray  do,"  said  Bickley.  "  Are  you  ready,  Hum- 
phrey?" 

I  nodded,  and  he  handed  to  me  a  felt-covered  flask  of 
the  non-conducting  kind,  filled  with  boiling  water,  a  tin 
of  preserved  milk,  and  a  little  bottle  of  meat  extract  of  a 
most  concentrated  sort.  Then,  having  lit  two  of  the 
hurricane  lamps  and  seen  that  they  were  full  of  oil,  we 
started  back  up  the  cave. 


CHAPTER  XI 

RESURRECTION 

WE  reached  the  sepulchre  without  stopping  to  look  at 
the  parked  machines  or  even  the  marvellous  statue  that 
stood  above  it,  for  what  did  we  care  about  machines 
or  statues  now  ?  As  we  approached  we  were  astonished 
to  hear  low  and  carvernous  growlings. 

"There  is  some  wild  beast  in  there,"  said  Bickley, 
halting.  "  No,  by  George !  it's  Tommy.  What  can  the 
dog  be  after  ?  " 

We  peeped  in,  and  there  sure  enough  was  Tommy 
lying  on  the  top  of  the  Glittering  Lady's  coffin  and 
growling  his  very  best  with  the  hair  standing  up  upon 
his  back.  When  he  saw  who  it  was,  however,  he  jumped 
off  and  frisked  round,  licking  my  hand. 

"  That's  very  strange,"  I  exclaimed. 

"  Not  stranger  than  everything  else,"  said  Bickley. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do?  "  I  asked. 

"  Open  these  coffins,"  he  answered,  "  beginning 
with  that  of  the  old  god,  since  I  would  rather  experiment 
on  him.  I  expect  he  will  crumble  into  dust.  But  if 
by  chance  he  doesn't  I'll  jam  a  little  strychnine,  mixed 
with  some  other  drugs,  of  which  you  don't  know  the 
names,  into  one  of  his  veins  and  see  if  anything  happens. 
If  it  doesn't,  it  won't  hurt  him,  and  if  it  does — well, 
who  knows  ?  Now  give  me  a  hand." 

We  went  to  the  left-hand  coffin  and  by  inserting  the 
hook  on  the  back  of  my  knife,  of  which  the  real  use  is 
to  pick  stones  out  of  horses'  hoofs,  into  one  of  the  little 

144 


Resurrection 

air-holes  I  have  described,  managed  to  raise  the  heavy 
crystal  lid  sufficiently  to  enable  us  to  force  a  piece  of 
wood  between  it  and  the  top.  The  rest  was  easy,  for 
the  hinges  being  of  crystal  had  not  corroded.  In  two 
minutes  it  was  open. 

From  the  chest  came  an  overpowering  spicy  odour," 
and  with  it  a  veritable  breath  of  warm  air  before  which 
we  recoiled  a  little.  Bickley  took  a  pocket  thermometer 
which  he  had  at  hand  and  glanced  at  it.  It  marked  a 
temperature  of  82  degrees  in  the  sepulchre.  Having 
noted  this,  he  thrust  it  into  the  coffin  between  the  crystal 
wall  and  its  occupant.  Then  we  went  out  and  waited  a 
little  while  to  give  the  odours  time  to  dissipate,  for 
they  made  the  head  reel. 

After  five  minutes  or  so  we  returned  and  examined 
the  thermometer.  It  had  risen  to  98  degrees,  the 
natural  temperature  of  the  human  body. 

"What  do  you  make  of  that  if  the  man  is  dead?" 
he  whispered. 

I  shook  my  head,  and  as  we  had  agreed,  set  to  help- 
ing him  to  lift  the  body  from  the  coffin.  It  was  a  good 
weight,  quite  eleven  stone  I  should  say;  moreover,  it 
was  not  stiff,  for  the  hip  joints  bent.  We  got  it  out 
and  laid  it  on  a  blanket  we  had  spread  on  the  floor  of 
the  sepulchre.  Whilst  I  was  thus  engaged  I  saw  some- 
thing that  nearly  caused  me  to  loose  my  hold  from 
astonishment.  Beneath  the  head,  the  centre  of  the  back 
and  the  feet  were  crystal  boxes  about  eight  inches  square, 
or  rather  crystal  blocks,  for  in  them  I  could  see  no 
opening,  and  these  boxes  emitted  a  faint  phosphorescent 
light.  I  touched  one  of  them  and  found  that  it  was 
quite  warm. 

"  Great  heavens !  "  I  exclaimed,  "  here's  magic." 

"There's  no   such  thing,"   answered   Bickley  in  his 


146  When  the  World  Shook 

usual  formula.  Then  an  explanation  seemed  to  strike; 
him  and  he  added,  "  Not  magic  but  radium  or  some- 
thing of  the  sort.  That's  how  the  temperature  was  kept 
up.  In  sufficient  quantity  it  is  practically  indestructible, 
you  see.  My  word!  this  old  gentleman  knew  a  thing 
or  two." 

Again  we  waited  a  little  while  to  see  if  the  body  began 
to  crumble  on  exposure  to  the  air,  I  taking  the  oppor- 
tunity to  make  a  rough  sketch  of  it  in  my  pocket-book 
in  anticipation  of  that  event.  But  it  did  not ;  it  remained 
quite  sound. 

"  Here  goes,"  said  Bickley.  "If  he  should  be 
alive,  he  will  catch  cold  in  his  lungs  after  lying  for 
ages  in  that  baby  incubator,  as  I  suppose  he  has  done. 
So  it  is  now  or  never." 

Then  bidding  me  hold  the  man's  right  arm,  he  took 
the  sterilized  syringe  which  he  had  prepared,  and  thrust- 
ing the  needle  into  a  vein  he  selected  just  above  the 
wrist,  injected  the  contents. 

"  It  would  have  been  better  over  the  heart,"  he 
whispered,  "but  I  thought  I  would  try  the  arm  first. 
I  don't  like  risking  chills  by  uncovering  him." 

I  made  no  answer  and  again  we  waited  and  watched. 

"  Great  heavens,  he's  stirring ! "  I  gasped  pres- 
ently. 

Stirring  he  was,  for  his  fingers  began  to  move. 

Bickley  bent  down  and  placed  his  ear  to  the  heart — 
I  forgot  to  say  that  he  had  tested  this  before  with  a 
stethoscope,  but  had  been  unable  to  detect  any  move- 
ment. 

"  I  believe  it  is  beginning  to  beat,"  he  said  in  an  awed 
voice. 

Then  he  applied  the  stethoscope,  and  added,  "  It  is, 
it  is!" 


Resurrection  147 

Next  he  took  a  filament  of  cotton  wool  and  laid  it  on 
the  man's  lips.  Presently  it  moved;  he  was  breathing, 
though  very  faintly.  Bickley  took  more  cotton  wool  and 
having  poured  something  from  his  medicine-chest  on 
to  it,  placed  it  over  the  mouth  beneath  the  man's  nostrils 
— I  believe  it  was  sal  volatile. 

Nothing  further  happened  for  a  little  while,  and  to 
relieve  the  strain  on  my  mind  I  stared  absently  into  the 
empty  coffin.  Here  I  saw  what  had  escaped  our  notice, 
two  small  plates  of  white  metal  and  cut  upon  them  what 
I  took  to  be  star  maps.  Beyond  these  and  the  glowing 
boxes  which  I  have  mentioned,  there  was  nothing  else 
in  the  coffin.  I  had  no  time  to  examine  them,  for  at 
that  moment  the  old  man  opened  his  mouth  and  began 
to  breathe,  evidently  with  some  discomfort  and  effort, 
as  his  empty  lungs  filled  themselves  with  air.  Then  his 
eyelids  lifted,  revealing  a  wonderful  pair  of  dark  glowing 
eyes  beneath.  Next  he  tried  to  sit  up  but  would  have 
fallen,  had  not  Bickley  supported  him  with  his  arm. 

I  do  not  think  he  saw  Bickley,  indeed  he  shut  his 
eyes  again  as  though  the  light  hurt  them,  and  went  into 
a  kind  of  faint.  Then  it  was  that  Tommy,  who  all  this 
while  had  been  watching  the  proceedings  with  grave  in- 
terest, came  forward,  wagging  his  tail,  and  licked  the 
man's  face.  At  the  touch  of  the  dog's  red  tongue,  he. 
opened  his  eyes  for  the  second  time.  Now  he  saw — not 
us  but  Tommy,  for  after  contemplating  him  for  a  few 
seconds,  something  like  a  smile  appeared  upon  his  fierce 
but  noble  face.  More,  he  lifted  his  hand  and  laid  it 
on  the  dog's  head,  as  though  to  pat  it  kindly.  Half 
a  minute  or  so  later  his  awakening  senses  appreciated  our 
presence.  The  incipient  smile  vanished  and  was  replaced 
by  a  somewhat  terrible  frown. 

Meanwhile  Bickley  had  poured  out  some  of  the  hot 


148  When  the  World  Shook 

coffee  laced  with  brandy  into  the  cup  that  was  screwed 
on  the  top  of  the  thermos  flask.  Advancing  to  the  man 
whom  I  supported,  he  put  it  to  his  lips.  He  tasted  and 
made  a  wry  face,  but  presently  he  began  to  sip,  and 
ultimately  swallowed  it  all.  The  effect  of  the  stimulant 
was  wonderful,  for  in  a  few  minutes  he  came  to  life 
completely  and  was  even  able  to  sit  up  without 
support. 

For  quite  a  long  while  he  gazed  at  us  gravely,  taking 
us  in  and  everything  connected  with  us.  For  instance, 
Bickley's  medicine-case  which  lay  open  showing  the 
little  vulcanite  tubes,  a  few  instruments  and  other  out- 
fit, engaged  his  particular  attention,  and  I  saw  at  once 
that  he  understood  what  it  was.  Thus  his  arm  still 
smarted  where  the  needle  had  been  driven  in  and  on 
the  blanket  lay  the  syringe.  He  looked  at  his  arm, 
then  looked  at  the  syringe,  and  nodded.  The  paraffin 
hurricane  lamps  also  seemed  to  interest  and  win  his 
approval.  We  two  men,  as  I  thought,  attracted  him 
least  of  all;  he  just  summed  us  up  and  our  garments, 
more  especially  the  garments,  with  a  few  shrewd 
glances,  and  then  seemed  to  turn  his  thoughts  to  Tommy, 
who  had  seated  himself  quite  contentedly  at  his  side, 
evidently  accepting  him  as  a  new  addition  to  our  party. 

I  confess  that  this  behaviour  on  Tommy's  part  re- 
assured me  not  a  little.  I  am  a  great  believer  in  the 
instincts  of  animals,  especially  of  dogs,  and  I  felt  certain 
that  if  this  man  had  not  been  in  all  essentials  human  like 
ourselves,  Tommy  would  not  have  tolerated  him.  In 
the  same  way  the  sleeper's  clear  liking  for  Tommy,  at 
whom  he  looked  much  oftener  and  with  greater  kindness 
than  he  did  at  us,  suggested  that  there  was  goodness  in 
him  somewhere,  since  although  a  dog  in  its  wonderful 
tolerance  may  love  a  bad  person  in  whom  it  smells  out 


Resurrection  149 

hidden  virtue,  no  really  bad  person  ever  loved  a  dog,  or, 
I  may  add,  a  child  or  a  flower. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  "  old  god,"  as  we  had 
christened  him  while  he  was  in  his  coffin,  during  all  our 
association  with  him,  cared  infinitely  more  for  Tommy 
than  he  did  for  any  of  us,  a  circumstance  that  ultimately 
was  not  without  its  influence  upon  our  fortunes.  But 
for  this  there  was  a  reason  as  we  learned  afterwards, 
also  he  was  not  really  so  amiable  as  I  hoped. 

When  we  had  looked  at  each  other  for  a  long  while 
the  sleeper  began  to  arrange  his  beard,  of  which  the 
length  seemed  to  surprise  him,  especially  as  Tommy 
was  seated  on  one  end  of  it.  Finding  this  out  and 
apparently  not  wishing  to  disturb  Tommy,  he  gave  up 
the  occupation,  and  after  one  or  two  attempts,  for  his 
tongue  and  lips  still  seemed  to  be  stiff,  addressed  us  in 
some  sonorous  and  musical  language,  unlike  any  that 
we  had  ever  heard.  We  shook  our  heads.  Then  by 
an  afterthought  I  said  "  Good  day "  to  him  in  the 
language  of  the  Orofenans.  He  puzzled  over  the  word 
as  though  it  were  more  or  less  familiar  to  him,  and 
when  I  repeated  it,  gave  it  back  to  me  with  a  difference 
indeed,  but  in  a  way  which  convinced  us  that  he  quite 
understood  what  I  meant.  The  conversation  went  no 
further  at  the  moment  because  just  then  some  memory 
seemed  to  strike  him. 

He  was  sitting  with  his  back  against  the  coffin  of  the 
Glittering  Lady,  whom  therefore  he  had  not  seen.  Now 
he  began  to  turn  round,  and  being  too  weak  to  do  so, 
motioned  me  to  help  him.  I  obeyed,  while  Bickley, 
guessing  his  purpose,  held  up  one  of  the  hurricane 
lamps  that  he  might  see  better.  With  a  kind  of  fierce 
eagerness  he  surveyed  her  who  lay  within  the  coffin,  and 
after  he  had  done  so,  uttered  a  sigh  as  of  intense  relief. 


150  When  the  World  Shook 

Next  he  pointed  to  the  metal  cup  out  of  which  he 
had  drunk.  Bickley  filled  it  again  from  the  thermos 
flask,  which  I  observed  excited  his  keen  interest,  for, 
having  touched  the  flask  with  his  hand  and  found  that 
it  was  cool,  he  appeared  to  marvel  that  the  fluid  coming 
from  it  should  be  hot  and  steaming.  Presently  he 
smiled  as  though  he  had  got  the  clue  to  the  mystery, 
and  swallowed  his  second  drink  of  coffee  and  spirit. 
This  done,  he  motioned  to  us  to  lift  the  lid  of  the  lady's 
coffin,  pointing  out  a  certain  catch  in  the  bolts  which  at 
first  we  could  not  master,  for  it  will  be  remembered  that 
on  this  coffin  these  were  shot. 

In  the  end,  by  pursuing  the  same  methods  that  we 
had  used  in  the  instance  of  his  own,  we  raised  the  coffin 
lid  and  once  more  were  driven  to  retreat  from  the 
sepulchre  for  a  while  by  the  overpowering  odour  like 
to  that  of  a  whole  greenhouse  full  of  tuberoses,  that 
flowed  out  of  it,  inducing  a  kind  of  stupefaction  from 
which  even  Tommy  fled. 

When  we  returned  it  was  to  find  the  man  kneeling 
by  the  side  of  the  coffin,  for  as  yet  he  could  not  stand, 
with  his  glowing  eyes  fixed  upon  the  face  of  her  who 
slept  therein  and  waving  his  long  arms  above  her. 

"  Hypnotic  business !  Wonder  if  it  will  work," 
whispered  Bickley.  Then  he  lifted  the  syringe  and 
looked  inquiringly  at  the  man,  who  shook  his  head,  and 
went  on  with  his  mesmeric  passes. 

I  crept  round  him  and  took  my  stand  by  the  sleeper's 
head,  that  I  might  watch  her  face,  which  was  well  worth 
watching,  while  Bickley,  with  his  medicine  at  hand, 
remained  near  her  feet,  I  think  engaged  in  disinfecting 
the  syringe  in  some  spirit  or  acid.  I  believe  he  was  about 
to  make  an  attempt  to  use  it  when  suddenly,  as  though 
beneath  the  influence  of  the  hypnotic  passes,  a  change 


Resurrection  151 

appeared  on  the  Glittering  Lady's  face.  Hitherto, 
beautiful  as  it  was,  it  had  been  a  dead  face  though  one 
of  a  person  who  had  suddenly  been  cut  off  while  in  full 
health  and  vigour  a  few  hours,  or  at  the  most  a  day  or 
so  before.  Now  it  began  to  live  again ;  it  was  as  though 
the  spirit  were  returning  from  afar,  and  not  without 
toil  and  tribulation. 

Expression  after  expression  flitted  across  the  features ; 
indeed  these  seemed  to  change  so  much  from  moment 
to  moment  that  they  might  have  belonged  to  several 
different  individuals,  though  each  was  beautiful.  The 
fact  of  these  remarkable  changes  with  the  suggestion  of 
multiform  personalities  which  they  conveyed  impressed 
both  Bickley  and  myself  very  much  indeed.  Then  the 
breast  heaved  tumultuously;  it  even  appeared  to  strug- 
gle. Next  the  eyes  opened.  They  were  full  of  wonder, 
even  of  fear,  but  oh!  what  marvellous  eyes.  I  do  not 
know  how  to  describe  them,  I  cannot  even  state  their 
exact  colour,  except  that  it  was  dark,  something  like 
the  blue  of  sapphires  of  the  deepest  tint,  and  yet  not 
black;  large,  too,  and  soft  as  a  deer's.  They  shut  again 
as  though  the  light  hurt  them,  then  once  more  opened 
and  wandered  about,  apparently  without  seeing. 

At  length  they  found  my  face,  for  I  was  still  bending 
over  her,  and,  resting  there,  appeared  to  take  it  in  by 
degrees.  More,  it  seemed  to  touch  and  stir  some  human 
spring  in  the  still-sleeping  heart.  At  least  the  fear 
passed  from  her  features  and  was  replaced  by  a  faint 
smile,  such  as  a  patient  sometimes  gives  to  one  known 
and  well  loved,  as  the  effects  of  chloroform  pass  away. 
For  a  while  she  looked  at  me  with  an  earnest,  searching 
gaze,  then  suddenly,  for  the  first  time  moving  her  arms, 
lifted  them  and  threw  them  round  my  neck. 

The  old  man  stared,  bending  his  imperial  brows  into 


152  When  the  World  Shook 

a  little  frown,  but  did  nothing.  Bickley  stared  also 
through  his  glasses  and  sniffed  as  though  in  disapproval, 
while  I  remained  quite  still,  fighting  with  a  wild  im- 
pulse to  kiss  her  on  the  lips  as  one  would  an  awakening 
and  beloved  child.  I  doubt  if  I  could  have  done  so, 
however,  for  really  I  was  immovable;  my  heart  seemed 
to  stop  and  all  my  muscles  to  be  paralysed. 

I  do  not  know  for  how  long  this  endured,  but  I  do 
know  how  it  ended.  Presently  in  the  intense  silence  I 
heard  Bastin's  heavy  voice  and  looking  round,  saw  his 
big  head  projecting  into  the  sepulchre. 

"  Well,  I  never ! "  he  said,  "  you  seem  to  have 
woke  them  up  with  a  vengeance.  If  you  begin  like 
that  with  the  lady,  there  will  be  complications  before 
you  have  done,  Arbuthnot." 

Talk  of  being  brought  back  to  earth  with  a  rush! 
I  could  have  killed  Bastin,  and  Bickley,  turning  on  him 
like  a  tiger,  told  him  to  be  off,  find  wood  and  light  a 
large  fire  in  front  of  the  statue.  I  think  he  was  about 
to  argue  when  the  Ancient  gave  him  a  glance  of  his 
fierce  eyes,  which  alarmed  him,  and  he  departed,  be- 
wildered, to  return  presently  with  the  wood. 

But  the  sound  of  his  voice  had  broken  the  spell. 
The  Lady  let  her  arms  fall  with  a  start,  and  shut  her 
eyes  again,  seeming  to  faint.  Bickley  sprang  forward 
with  his  sal  volatile  and  applied  it  to  her  nostrils,  the 
Ancient  not  interfering,  for  he  seemed  to  recognise 
that  he  had  to  deal  with  a  man  of  skill  and  one  who 
meant  well  by  them. 

In  the  end  we  brought  her  round  again  and,  to  omit 
details,  Bickley  gave  her,  not  coffee  and  brandy,  but  a 
mixture  he  compounded  of  hot  water,  preserved  milk 
and  meat  essence.  The  effect  of  it  on  her  was  wonderful, 
since  a  few  minutes  after  swallowing  it  she  sat  up  in 


Resurrection  153 

the  coffin.  Then  we  lifted  her  from  that  narrow  bed 
in  which  she  had  slept  for — ah!  how  long?  and  per- 
ceived that  beneath  her  also  were  crystal  boxes  of  the 
radiant,  heat-giving  substance.  We  sat  her  on  the 
floor  of  the  sepulchre,  wrapping  her  also  in  a  blanket. 

Now  it  was  that  Tommy,  after  frisking  round  her  as 
though  in  welcome  of  an  old  friend,  calmly  established 
himself  beside  her  and  laid  his  black  head  upon  her 
knee.  She  noted  it  and  smiled  for  the  first  time,  a 
marvellously  sweet  and  gentle  smile.  More,  she  placed 
her  slender  hand  upon  the  dog  and  stroked  him 
feebly. 

Bickley  tried  to  make  her  drink  some  more  of  his 
mixture,  but  she  refused,  motioning  him  to  give  it  to 
Tommy.  This,  however,  he  would  not  do  because  there 
was  but  one  cup.  Presently  both  of  the  sleepers  began 
to  shiver,  which  caused  Bickley  anxiety.  Abusing  Bas- 
tin  beneath  his  breath  for  being  so  long  with  the  fire, 
he  drew  the  blankets  closer  about  them. 

Then  an  idea  came  to  him  and  he  examined  the 
glowing  boxes  in  the  coffin.  They  were  loose,  being 
merely  set  in  prepared  cavities  in  the  crystal.  Wrapping 
our  handkerchiefs  about  his  hand,  he  took  them  out  and 
placed  them  around  the  wakened  patients,  a  proceed- 
ing of  which  the  Ancient  nodded  approval.  Just  then, 
too,  Bastin  returned  with  his  first  load  of  firewood,  and 
soon  we  had  a  merry  blaze  going  just  outside  the 
sepulchre.  I  saw  that  they  observed  the  lighting  of 
this  fire  by  means  of  a  match  with  much  interest. 

Now  they  grew  warm  again,  as  indeed  we  did  also — 
too  warm.  Then  in  my  turn  I  had  an  idea.  I  knew 
that  by  now  the  sun  would  be  beating  hotly  against  the 
rock  of  the  mount,  and  suggested  to  Bickley,  that,  if 
possible,  the  best  thing  we  could  do  would  be  to  get 


154  When  the  World  Shook 

them  into  its  life-giving  rays.  He  agreed,  if  we  could 
make  them  understand  and  they  were  able  to  walk.  So 
I  tried.  First  I  directed  the  Ancient's  attention  to  the 
mouth  of  the  cave  which  at  this  distance  showed  as  a 
white  circle  of  light.  He  looked  at  it  and  then  at 
me  with  grave  inquiry.  I  made  motions  to  suggest 
that  he  should  proceed  there,  repeating  the  word  "  Sun  " 
in  the  Orofenan  tongue.  He  understood  at  once,  though 
whether  he  read  my  mind  rather  than  what  I  said  I  am 
not  sure.  Apparently  the  Glittering  Lady  understood 
also  and  seemed  to  be  most  anxious  to  go.  Only  she 
looked  rather  pitifully  at  her  feet  and  shook  her  head. 
This  decided  me. 

I  do  not  know  if  I  have  mentioned  anywhere  that 
I  am  a  tall  man  and  very  muscular.  She  was  tall,  also, 
but  as  I  judged  not  so  very  heavy  after  her  long  fast. 
At  any  rate  I  felt  quite  certain  that  I  could  carry  her 
for  that  distance.  Stooping  down,  I  lifted  her  up, 
signing  to  her  to  put  her  arms  round  my  neck,  which 
she  did.  Then  calling  to  Bickley  and  Bastin  to  bring 
along  the  Ancient  between  them,  with  some  difficulty 
I  struggled  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  started  down  the 
cave.  She  was  more  heavy  than  I  thought,  and  yet  I 
could  have  wished  the  journey  longer.  To  begin  with 
she  seemed  quite  trustful  and  happy  in  my  arms,  where 
she  lay  with  her  head  against  my  shoulder,  smiling  a 
little  as  a  child  might  do,  especially  when  I  had  to  stop 
and  throw  her  long  hair  round  my  neck  like  a  muffler,  to 
prevent  it  from  trailing  in  the  dust. 

A  bundle  of  lavender,  or  a  truss  of  new-mown  hay, 
could  not  have  been  more  sweet  to  carry  and  there  was 
something  electric  about  the  touch  of  her,  which  went 
through  and  through  me.  Very  soon  it  was  over,  and 
we  were  out  of  the  cave  into  the  full  glory  of  the  tropical 


Resurrection  155 

sun.  At  first,  that  her  eyes  might  become  accustomed  to 
its  light  and  her  awakened  body  to  its  heat,  I  set  her 
down  where  shadow  fell  from  the  overhanging  rock, 
in  a  canvas  deck  chair  that  had  been  brought  by  Marama 
with  the  other  things,  throwing  the  rug  about  her  to 
protect  her  from  such  wind  as  there  was.  She  nestled 
gratefully  into  the  soft  seat  and  shut  her  eyes,  for  the 
motion  had  tired  her.  I  noted,  however,  that  she  drew 
in  the  sweet  air  with  long  breaths. 

Then  I  turned  to  observe  the  arrival  of  the  Ancient, 
who  was  being  borne  between  Bickley  and  Bastin  in 
what  children  know  as  a  dandy-chair,  which  is  formed 
by  two  people  crossing  their  hands  in  a  peculiar  fashion. 
It  says  much  for  the  tremendous  dignity  of  his  presence 
that  even  thus,  with  one  arm  round  the  neck  of  Bickley 
and  the  other  round  that  of  Bastin,  and  his  long  white 
beard  falling  almost  to  the  ground,  he  still  looked  most 
imposing. 

Unfortunately,  however,  just  as  they  were  emerging 
from  the  cave,  Bastin,  always  the  most  awkward  of 
creatures,  managed  to  leave  hold  with  one  hand,  so  that 
his  passenger  nearly  came  to  the  ground.  Never  shall 
I  forget  the  look  that  he  gave  him.  Indeed,  I  think  that 
from  this  moment  he  hated  Bastin.  Bickley  he  respected 
as  a  man  of  intelligence  and  learning,  although  in  com- 
parison with  his  own,  the  latter  was  infantile  and  crude ; 
me  he  tolerated  and  even  liked;  but  Bastin  he  detested. 
The  only  one  of  our  party  for  whom  he  felt  anything 
approaching  real  affection  was  the  spaniel  Tommy. 

We  set  him  down,  fortunately  uninjured,  on  some 
rugs,  and  also  in  the  shadow.  Then,  after  a  little  while, 
we  moved  both  of  them  into  the  sun.  It  was  quite 
curious  to  see  them  expand  there.  As  Bickley  said,  what 
happened  to  them  might  well  be  compared  to  the  de- 


156  When  the  World  Shook 

velopment  of  a  butterfly  which  has  just  broken  from  the 
living  grave  of  its  chrysalis  and  crept  into  the  full,  hot 
radiance  of  the  light.  Its  crinkled  wings  unfold,  their 
brilliant  tints  develop;  in  an  hour  or  two  it  is  perfect, 
glorious,  prepared  for  life  and  flight,  a  new  creature. 

So  it  was  with  this  pair,  from  moment  to  moment 
they  gathered  strength  and  vigour.  Near-by  to  them,  as 
is  happened,  stood  a  large  basket  of  the  luscious  native 
fruits  brought  that  morning  by  the  Orofenans,  and  at 
these  the  Lady  looked  with  longing.  With  Bickley's 
permission,  I  offered  them  to  her  and  to  the  Ancient, 
first  peeling  them  with  my  fingers.  They  ate  of  them 
greedily,  a  full  meal,  and  would  have  gone  on  had  not 
the  stern  Bickley,  fearing  untoward  consequences,  re- 
moved the  basket.  Again  the  results  were  wonderful, 
for  half  an  hour  afterwards  they  seemed  to  be  quite 
strong.  With  my  assistance  the  Glittering  Lady,  as  I 
still  call  her,  for  at  that  time  I  did  not  know  her  name, 
rose  from  the  chair,  and,  leaning  on  me,  tottered  a  few 
steps  forward.  Then  she  stood  looking  at  the  sky  and 
all  the  lovely  panorama  of  nature  beneath,  and  stretch- 
ing out  her  arms  as  though  in  worship.  Oh !  how  beauti- 
ful she  seemed  with  the  sunlight  shining  on  her  heavenly 
face! 

Now  for  the  first  time  I  heard  her  voice.  It  was  soft 
and  deep,  yet  in  it  was  a  curious  bell-like  tone  that 
seemed  to  vibrate  like  the  sound  of  chimes  heard  from 
far  away.  Never  have  I  listened  to  such  another  voice. 
She  pointed  to  the  sun  whereof  the  light  turned  her 
radiant  hair  and  garments  to  a  kind  of  golden  glory, 
and  called  it  by  some  name  that  I  could  not  understand. 
I  shook  my  head,  whereon  she  gave  it  a  different  name 
taken,  I  suppose,  from  another  language.  Again  I 
shook  my  head  and  she  tried  a  third  time.  ^To  my 


Resurrection  157 

delight  this  word  was  practically  the  same  that  the  Oro- 
fenans  used  for  "  sun." 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  speaking  very  slowly,  "  so  it  is  called 
by  the  people  of,  this  land." 

She  understood,  for  she  answered  in  much  the  same 
language : 

"What,  then,  do  you  call  it?" 

"  Sun  in  the  English  tongue,"  I  replied. 

"  Sun.  English,"  she  repeated  after  me,  then  added, 
"  How  are  you  named,  Wanderer  ?  " 

"  Humphrey,"  I  answered. 

"  Hum — f  e — ry !  "  she  said  as  though  she  were  learn- 
ing the  word,  "  and  those  ?  " 

"  Bastin  and  Bickley/'  I  replied. 

Over  these  patronymics  she  shook  her  head;  as  yet 
they  were  too  much  for  her. 

"  How  are  you  named,  Sleeper?  "  I  asked. 

"  Yva,"  she  answered. 

"  A  beautiful  name  for  one  who  is  beautiful,"  I  de- 
clared with  enthusiasm,  of  course  always  in  the  rich 
Orofenan  dialect  which  by  now  I  could  talk  well  enough. 

She  repeated  the  words  once  or  twice,  then  of  a 
sudden  caught  their  meaning,  for  she  smiled  and  even 
coloured,  saying  hastily  with  a  wave  of  her  hand  towards 
the  Ancient  who  stood  at  a  distance  between  Bastin  and 
Bickley,  "My  father,  Oro;  great  man;  great  king; 
great  god ! " 

At  this  information  I  started,  for  it  was  startling  to 
learn  that  here  was  the  original  Oro,  who  was  still 
worshipped  by  the  Orofenans,  although  of  his  actual 
existence  they  had  known  nothing  for  uncounted  time. 
Also  I  was  glad  to  learn  that  he  was  her  father  and  not 
her  old  husband,  for  to  me  that  would  have  been  horrible, 
a  desecration  too  deep  for  words. 


158  When  the  World  Shook 

"  How  long  did  you  sleep,  Yva  ?  "  I  asked,  pointing 
towards  the  sepulchre  in  the  cave. 

After  a  little  thought  she  understood  and  shook  her 
head  hopelessly,  then  by  an  afterthought,  she  said, 

"  Stars  tell  Oro  to-night." 

So  Oro  was  an  astronomer  as  well  as  a  king  and  a 
god.  I  had  guessed  as  much  from  those  plates  in  the 
coffin  which  seemed  to  have  stars  engraved  on  them. 

At  this  point  our  conversation  came  to  an  end,  for 
the  Ancient  himself  approached,  leaning  on  the  arm  of 
Bickley  who  was  engaged  in  an  animated  argument 
with  Bastin. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake ! "  said  Bickley,  "  keep  your 
theology  to  yourself  at  present.  If  you  upset  the  old 
fellow  and  put  him  in  a  temper  he  may  die." 

"  If  a  man  tells  me  that  he  is  a  god  it  is  my  duty 
to  tell  him  that  he  is  a  liar,"  replied  Bastin  obstinately. 

"  Which  you  did,  Bastin,  only  fortunately  he  did 
not  understand  you.  But  for  your  own  sake  I  advise 
you  not  to  take  liberties.  He  is  not  one,  I  think,  with 
whom  it  is  wise  to  trifle.  I  think  he  seems  thirsty.  Go 
and  get  some  water  from  the  rain  pool,  not  from  the 
lake." 

Bastin  departed  and  presently  returned  with  an 
aluminium  jug  full  of  pure  water  and  a  glass.  Bickley 
poured  some  of  it  into  a  glass  and  handed  it  to  Yva  who 
bent  her  head  in  thanks.  Then  she  did  a  curious  thing. 
Having  first  lifted  the  glass  with  both  hands  to  the 
sky  and  held  it  so  for  a  few  seconds,  she  turned  and  with 
an  obeisance  poured  a  little  of  it  on  the  ground  before  her 
father's  feet. 

A  libation,  thought  I  to  myself,  and  evidently  Bastin 
agreed  with  me,  for  I  heard  him  mutter, 

"  I  believe  she  is  making  a  heathen  offering." 


Resurrection  159 

Doubtless  we  were  right,  for  Oro  accepted  the 
homage  by  a  little  motion  of  the  head.  After  this,  at  a 
sign  from  him  she  drank  the  water.  Then  the  glass  was 
refilled  and  handed  to  Oro  who  also  held  it  towards  the 
sky.  He,  however,  made  no  libation  but  drank  at  once, 
two  tumblers  of  it  in  rapid  succession. 

By  now  the  direct  sunlight  was  passing  from  the 
mouth  of  the  cave,  and  though  it  was  hot  enough,  both 
of  them  shivered  a  little.  They  spoke  together  in  some 
language  of  which  we  could  not  understand  a  word,  as 
though  they  were  debating  what  their  course  of  action 
should  be.  The  dispute  was  long  and  earnest.  Had  we 
known  what  was  passing,  which  I  learned  afterwards, 
it  would  have  made  us  sufficiently  anxious,  for  the  point 
at  issue  was  nothing  less  than  whether  we  should  or 
should  not  be  forthwith  destroyed — an  end,  it  appears, 
that  Oro  was  quite  capable  of  bringing  about  if  he  so 
pleased.  Yva,  however,  had  very  clear  views  of  her  own 
on  the  matter  and,  as  I  gather,  even  dared  to  threaten 
that  she  would  protect  us  by  the  use  of  certain  powers  at 
her  command,  though  what  these  were  I  do  not  know. 

While  the  event  hung  doubtful  Tommy,  who  was 
growing  bored  with  these  long  proceedings,  picked  up  a 
bough  still  covered  with  flowers  which,  after  their  pretty 
fashion,  the  Orofenans  had  placed  on  the  top  of  one 
of  the  baskets  of  food.  This  small  bough  he  brought 
and  laid  at  the  feet  of  Oro,  no  doubt  in  the  hope  that 
he  would  throw  it  for  him  to  fetch,  a  game  in  which 
the  dog  delighted.  For  some  reason  Oro  saw  an  omen 
in  this  simple  canine  performance,  or  he  may  have 
thought  that  the  dog  was  making  an  offering  to  him,  for 
he  put  his  thin  hand  to  his  brow  and  thought  a  while, 
then  motioned  to  Bastin  to  pick  up  the  bough  and  give 
it  to  him. 


160  When  the  World  Shook 

Next  he  spoke  to  his  daughter  as  though  assenting 
to  something,  for  I  saw  her  sigh  in  relief.  No  wonder, 
for  he  was  conveying  his  decision  to  spare  our  lives  and 
admit  us  to  their  fellowship. 

After  this  again  they  talked,  but  in  quite  a  different 
tone  and  manner.  Then  the  Glittering  Lady  said  to  me 
in  her  slow  and  archaic  Orof  enan : 

"  We  go  to  rest.  You  must  not  follow.  We  come 
back  perhaps  to-night,  perhaps  next  night.  We  are  quite 
safe.  You  are  quite  safe  under  the  beard  of  Oro. 
Spirit  of  Oro  watch  you.  You  understand?" 

I  said  I  understood,  whereon  she  answered : 

"  Good-bye,  O  Humfe-ry." 

"  Good-bye,  O  Yva,"  I  replied,  bowing. 

Thereon  they  turned  and  refusing  all  assistance  from 
us,  vanished  into  the  darkness  of  the  cave  leaning  upon 
each  other  and  walking  slowly. 


CHAPTER  XII 

TWO  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  THOUSAND  YEARS ! 

"You  seem  to  have  made  the  best  of  your  time,  old 
fellow,"  said  Bickley  in  rather  a  sour  voice. 

"  I  never  knew  people  begin  to  call  each  other  by 
their  Christian  names  so  soon,"  added  Bastin,  looking 
at  me  with  a  suspicious  eye. 

"  I  know  no  other,"  I  said. 

"  Perhaps  not,  but  at  any  rate  you  have  another, 
though  you  don't  seem  to  have  told  it  to  her.  Anyway, 
I  am  glad  they  are  gone,  for  I  was  getting  tired  of  being 
ordered  by  everybody  to  carry  about  wood  and  water  for 
them.  Also  I  am  terribly  hungry  as  I  can't  eat  before 
it  is  light.  They  have  taken  most  of  the  best  fruit  to 
which  I  was  looking  forward,  but  thank  goodness  they 
do  not  seem  to  care  for  pork." 

"  So  am  I,"  said  Bickley,  who  really  looked  ex- 
hausted. "  Get  the  food,  there's  a  good  fellow.  We'll 
talk  afterwards." 

When  we  had  eaten,  somewhat  silently,  I  asked 
Bickley  what  he  made  of  the  business;  also  whither  he 
thought  the  sleepers  had  gone. 

"  I  think  I  can  answer  the  last  question,"  interrupted 
Bastin.  "  I  expect  it  is  to  a  place  well  known  to  students 
of  the  Bible  which  even  Bickley  mentions  sometimes 
when  he  is  angry.  At  any  rate,  they  seem  to  be  very 
fond  of  heat,  for  they  wouldn't  part  from  it  even  in  their 
coffins,  and  you  [will  admit  that  they  are  not  quite 

X6l 


162  When  the  World  Shook 

natural,  although  that  Glittering  Lady  is  so  attractive  as 
regards  her  exterior." 

Bickley  waved  these  remarks  aside  and  addressed 
himself  to  me. 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  think  of  it,"  he  said ;  "  but  as 
the  experience  is  not  natural  and  everything  in  the 
Universe,  so  far  as  we  know  it,  has  a  natural  explana- 
tion, I  am  inclined  to  the  belief  that  we  are  suffering 
from  hallucinations,  which  in  their  way  are  also  quite 
natural.  It  does  not  seem  possible  that  two  people  can 
really  have  been  asleep  for  an  unknown  length  of  time 
enclosed  in  vessels  of  glass  or  crystal,  kept  warm  by 
radium  or  some  such  substance,  and  then  emerge  from 
them  comparatively  strong  and  well.  It  is  contrary  to 
natural  law." 

"  How  about  microbes  ?  "  I  asked.  "  They  are  said 
to  last  practically  for  ever,  and  they  are  living  things. 
So  in  their  case  your  natural  law  breaks  down." 

"  That  is  true,"  he  answered.  "  Some  microbes  in  a 
sealed  tube  and  under  certain  conditions  do  appear  to 
possess  indefinite  powers  of  life.  Also  radium  has  an 
indefinite  life,  but  that  is  a  mineral.  Only  these  people 
are  not  microbes  nor  are  they  minerals.  Also,  experience 
tells  us  that  they  could  not  have  lived  for  more  than  a 
few  months  at  the  outside  in  such  circumstances  as  we 
seemed  to  find  them." 

"  Then  what  do  you  suggest  ?  " 

"  I  suggest  that  we  did  not  really  find  them  at  all ; 
that  we  have  all  been  dreaming.  You  know  that  there 
are  certain  gases  which  produce  illusions,  laughing  gas 
is  one  of  them,  and  that  these  gases  are  sometimes  met 
with  in  caves.  Now  there  were  very  peculiar  odours  in 
that  place  under  the  statue,  which  may  have  worked 
upon  our  imaginations  in  some  such  way.  Otherwise 


250,000  Years!  163 

we  are  up  against  a  miracle,  and,  as  you  know,  I  do  not 
believe  in  miracles." 

"  /  do,"  said  Bastin  calmly.  "  You'll  find  all  about 
it  in  the  Bible  if  you  will  only  take  the  trouble  to  read. 
Why  do  you  talk  such  rubbish  about  gases  ?  " 

"  Because  only  gas,  or  something  of  the  sort,  could 
have  made  us  imagine  them." 

"  Nonsense,  Bickley !  Those  people  were  here  right 
enough.  Didn't  they  eat  our  fruit  and  drink  the  water 
I  brought  them  without  ever  saying  thank  you?  Only, 
they  are  not  human.  They  are  evil  spirits,  and  for  my 
part  I  don't  want  to  see  any  more  of  them,  though  I 
have  no  doubt  Arbuthnot  does,  as  that  Glittering  Lady 
threw  her  arms  round  his  neck  when  she  woke  up,  and 
already  he  is  calling  her  by  her  Christian  name,  if  the 
word  Christian  can  be  used  in  connection  with  her.  The 
old  fellow  had  the  impudence  to  tell  us  that  he  was  a 
god,  and  it  is  remarkable  that  he  should  have  called 
himself  Oro,  seeing  that  the  devil  they  worship  on  the 
island  is  also  called  Oro  and  the  place  itself  is  named 
Orofena." 

"  As  to  where  they  have  gone,"  continued  Bickley, 
taking  no  notice  of  Bastin,  "  I  really  don't  know.  My 
expectation  is,  however,  that  when  we  go  to  look  to- 
morrow morning — and  I  suggest  that  we  should  not  do 
so  before  then  in  order  that  we  may  give  our  minds 
time  to  clear — we  shall  find  that  sepulchre  place  quite 
empty,  even  perhaps  without  the  crystal  coffins  we  have 
imagined  to  stand  there." 

"  Perhaps  we  shall  find  that  there  isn't  a  cave  at  all 
and  that  we  are  not  sitting  on  a  flat  rock  outside  of  it," 
suggested  Bastin  with  heavy  sarcasm,  adding,  "  You  are 
clever  in  your  way,  Bickley,  but  you  can  talk  more 
rubbish  than  any  man  I  ever  knew." 


164  When  the  World  Shook 

"  They  told  us  they  would  come  back  to-night  or  to- 
morrow," I  said.  "  If  they  do,  what  will  you  say  then, 
Bickley?" 

"  I  will  wait  till  they  come  to  answer  that  question. 
Now  let  us  go  for  a  walk  and  try  to  change  our  thoughts. 
We  are  all  over-strained  and  scarcely  know  what  we 
are  saying." 

"One  more  question,"  I  said  as  we  rose  to  start. 
"  Did  Tommy  suffer  from  hallucinations  as  well  as  our- 
selves?" 

"Why  not?"  answered  Bickley.  "He  is  an  animal 
just  as  we  are,  or  perhaps  we  thought  we  saw  Tommy 
do  the  things  he  did." 

"  When  you  found  that  basket  of  fruit,  Bastin,  which 
the  natives  brought  over  in  the  canoe,  was  there  a 
bough  covered  with  red  flowers  lying  on  the  top  of 
it?" 

"Yes,  Arbuthnot,  one  bough  only;  I  threw  it  down 
on  the  rock  as  it  got  in  the  way  when  I  was  carrying 
the  basket." 

"Which  flowering  bough  we  all  thought  we  saw  the 
Sleeper  Oro  carry  away  after  Tommy  had  brought  it  to 
him." 

"Yes;  he  made  me  pick  it  up  and  give  it  to  him," 
said  Bastin. 

"  Well,  if  we  did  not  see  this  it  should  still  be  lying 
on  the  rock,  as  there  has  been  no  wind  and  there  are 
no  animals  here  to  carry  it  away.  You  will  admit  that, 
Bickley?" 

He  nodded. 

"Then  if  it  has  gone  you  will  admit  also  that  the 
presumption  is  that  we  saw  what  we  thought  we  did 
see?" 

"  I  do  not  know  how  that  conclusion  can  be  avoided, 


250,000  Years!  165 

at  any  rate  so  far  as  the  incident  of  the  bough  is  con- 
cerned," replied  Bickley  with  caution. 

Then,  without  more  words,  we  started  to  look.  At 
the  spot  where  the  bough  should  have  been,  there  was 
no  bough,  but  on  the  rock  lay  several  of  the  red  flowers, 
bitten  off,  I  suppose,  by  Tommy  while  he  was  carrying 
it.  Nor  was  this  all.  I  think  I  have  mentioned  that  the 
Glittering  Lady  wore  sandals  which  were  fastened  with 
red  studs  that  looked  like  rubies  or  carbuncles.  On  the 
rock  lay  one  of  these  studs.  I  picked  it  up  and  we 
examined  it.  It  had  been  sewn  to  the  sandal-strap  with 
golden  thread  or  silk.  Some  of  this  substance  hung 
from  the  hole  drilled  in  the  stone  which  served  for  an 
eye.  It  was  as  rotten  as  tinder,  apparently  with  extreme 
age.  Moreover,  the  hard  gem  itself  was  pitted  as  though 
the  passage  of  time  had  taken  effect  upon  it,  though 
this  may  have  been  caused  by  other  agencies,  such  as 
the  action  of  the  radium  rays.  I  smiled  at  Bickley  who 
looked  disconcerted  and  even  sad.  In  a  way  it  is  pain- 
ful to  see  the  effect  upon  an  able  and  earnest  man  of  the 
upsetting  of  his  lifelong  theories. 

We  went  for  our  walk,  keeping  to  the  flat  lands  at 
the  foot  of  the  volcano  cone,  for  we  seemed  to  have  had 
enough  of  wonders  and  to  desire  to  reassure  ourselves, 
as  it  were,  by  the  study  of  natural  and  familiar  things. 
As  it  chanced,  too,  we  were  rewarded  by  sundry  useful 
discoveries.  Thus  we  found  a  place  where  the  bread- 
tree  and  other  fruits,  most  of  them  now  ripe,  grew  in 
abundance,  as  did  the  yam.  Also,  we  came  to  an  inlet 
that  we  noticed  was  crowded  with  large  and  beautiful 
fish  from  the  lake,  which  seemed  to  find  it  a  favourite 
spot.  Perhaps  this  was  because  a  little  stream  of  excel- 
lent water  ran  in  here,  overflowing  from  the  great  pool 
or  mere  which  filled  the  crater  above. 


166  When  the  World  Shook 

At  these  finds  we  rejoiced  greatly,  for  now  we  knew 
that  we  need  not  fear  starvation  even  should  our  supply 
of  food  from  the  main  island  be  cut  off.  Indeed,  by 
help  of  some  palm-leaf  stalks  which  we  wove  together 
roughly,  Bastin,  who  was  rather  clever  at  this  kind  of 
thing,  managed  to  trap  four  fish  weighing  two  or  three 
pounds  apiece,  wading  into  the  water  to  do  so.  It  was 
curious  to  observe  with  what  ease  he  adapted  himself  to 
the  manners  and  customs  of  primeval  man,  so  much  so, 
indeed,  that  Bickley  remarked  that  if  he  could  believe  in 
re-incarnation,  he  would  be  absolutely  certain  that 
Bastin  was  a  troglodyte  in  his  last  sojourn  on  the  earth. 

However  this  might  be,  Bastin's  primeval  instincts 
and  abilities  were  of  the  utmost  service  to  us.  Before  we 
had  been  many  days  on  that  island  he  had  built  us  a 
kind  of  native  hut  or  house  roofed  with  palm  leaves  in 
which,  until  provided  with  a  better,  as  happened  after- 
wards, we  ate  and  he  and  Bickley  slept,  leaving  the  tent 
to  me.  Moreover,  he  wove  a  net  of  palm  fibre  with 
which  he  caught  abundance  of  fish,  and  made  fishing- 
lines  of  the  same  material  (fortunately  we  had  some 
hooks)  which  he  baited  with  freshwater  mussels  and  the 
insides  of  fish.  By  means  of  these  he  secured  some 
veritable  monsters  of  the  carp  species  that  proved  most 
excellent  eating.  His  greatest  triumph,  however,  was  a 
decoy  which  he  constructed  of  boughs,  wherein  he 
trapped  a  number  of  waterfowl.  So  that  soon  we  kept  a 
very  good  table  of  a  sort,  especially  after  he  had  learned 
how  to  cook  our  food  upon  the  native  plan  by  means  of 
hot  stones.  This  suited  us  admirably,  as  it  enabled 
Bickley  and  myself  to  devote  all  our  time  to  archaeo- 
logical and  other  studies  which  did  not  greatly  interest 
Bastin. 

By  the  time  that  we  got  back  to  camp  it  was  drawing 


250,000  Years!  167 

towards  evening,  so  we  cooked  our  food  and  ate,  and 
then,  thoroughly  exhausted,  made  ourselves  as  comfort- 
able as  we  could  and  went  to  sleep.  Even  our  marvel- 
lous experiences  could  not  keep  Bickley  and  myself  from 
sleeping,  and  on  Bastin  such  things  had  no  effect.  He 
accepted  them  and  that  was  all,  much  more  readily  than 
we  did,  indeed.  Triple-armed  as  he  was  in  the  mail  of  a 
child-like  faith,  he  snapped  his  fingers  at  evil  spirits 
which  he  supposed  the  Sleepers  to  be,  and  at  everything 
else  that  other  men  might  dread. 

Now,  as  I  have  mentioned,  after  our  talk  with 
Marama,  although  we  did  not  think  it  wise  to  adventure 
ourselves  among  them  again  at  present,  we  had  lost  all 
fear  of  the  Orofenans.  In  this  attitude,  so  far  as  Marama 
himself  and  the  majority  of  his  people  were  concerned, 
we  were  quite  justified,  for  they  were  our  warm  friends. 
But  in  the  case  of  the  sorcerers,  the  priests  and  all  their 
rascally  and  superstitious  brotherhood,  we  were  by  no 
means  justified.  They  had  not  forgiven  Bastin  his 
sacrilege  or  for  his  undermining  of  their  authority  by 
the  preaching  of  new  doctrines  which,  if  adopted,  would 
destroy  them  as  a  hierarchy.  Nor  had  they  forgiven 
Bickley  for  shooting  one  of  their  number,  or  any  of  us 
for  our  escape  from  the  vengeance  of  their  god. 

So  it  came  about  that  they  made  a  plot  to  seize  us  all 
and  hale  us  off  to  be  sacrificed  to  a  substituted  image  of 
Oro,  which  by  now  they  had  set  up.  They  knew  exactly 
where  we  slept  upon  the  rock;  indeed,  our  fire  showed 
it  to  them  and  so  far  they  were  not  afraid  to  venture, 
since  here  they  had  been  accustomed  for  generations  to 
lay  their  offerings  to  the  god  of  the  Mountain.  Secretly 
on  the  previous  night,  without  the  knowledge  of 
Marama,  they  had  carried  two  more  canoes  to  the 
borders  of  the  lake.  Now  on  this  night,  just  as  the  moon 


i68  When  the  World  Shook 

was  setting  about  three  in  the  morning,  they  made  their 
attack,  twenty-one  men  in  all,  for  the  three  canoes  were 
large,  relying  on  the  following  darkness  to  get  us  away 
and  convey  us  to  the  place  of  sacrifice  to  be  offered  up 
at  dawn  and  before  Marama  could  interfere. 

The  first  we  knew  of  the  matter,  for  most  foolishly 
we  had  neglected  to  keep  a  watch,  was  the  unpleasant 
sensation  of  brawny  savages  kneeling  on  us  and  trussing 
us  up  with  palm-fibre  ropes.  Also  they  thrust  handfuls 
of  dry  grass  into  our  mouths  to  prevent  us  from  calling 
out,  although  as  air  came  through  the  interstices  of  the 
grass,  we  did  not  suffocate.  The  thing  was  so  well  done 
that  we  never  struck  a  blow  in  self-defence,  and  although 
we  had  our  pistols  at  hand,  much  less  could  we  fire  a 
shot.  Of  course,  we  struggled  as  well  as  we  were  able, 
but  it  was  quite  useless;  in  three  minutes  we  were  as 
helpless  as  calves  in  a  net  and  like  calves  were  being 
conveyed  to  the  butcher.  Bastin  managed  to  get  the 
gag  out  of  his  mouth  for  a  few  seconds,  and  I  heard 
him  say  in  his  slow,  heavy  voice : 

"  This,  Bickley,  is  what  comes  of  trafficking  with 

evil  spirits  in  museum  cases "  There  his  speech 

stopped,  for  the  grass  wad  was  jammed  down  his  throat 
again,  but  distinctly  I  heard  the  inarticulate  Bickley 
snort  as  he  conceived  the  repartee  he  was  unable  to 
utter.  As  for  myself,  I  reflected  that  the  business  served 
us  right  for  not  keeping  a  watch,  and  abandoned  the 
issue  to  fate. 

Still,  to  confess  the  truth,  I  was  infinitely  more  sorry 
to  die  than  I  should  have  been  forty-eight  hours  earlier. 
This  is  a  dull  and  in  most  ways  a  dreadful  world,  one,  if 
we  could  only  summon  the  courage,  that  some  of  us 
would  be  glad  to  leave  in  search  of  new  adventures. 
But  here  a  great  and  unprecedented  adventure  had 


250,000  Years!  169 

begun  to  befall  me,  and  before  its  mystery  was  solved, 
before  even  I  could  formulate  a  theory  concerning  it, 
my  body  must  be  destroyed,  and  my  intelligence  that 
was  caged  therein,  sent  far  afield;  or,  if  Bickley  were 
right,  eclipsed.  It  seemed  so  sad  just  when  the  im- 
possible, like  an  unguessed  wandering  moon,  had  risen 
over  the  grey  flats  of  the  ascertained  and  made  them 
shine  with  hope  and  wonder. 

They  carried  us  off  to  the  canoes,  not  too  gently;  in- 
deed, I  heard  the  bony  frame  of  Bastin  bump  into  the 
"bottom  of  one  of  them  and  reflected,  not  without  venom, 
that  it  served  him  right  as  he  was  the  fount  and  origin 
o.f  our  woes.  Two  stinking  magicians,  wearing  on  their 
heads  undress  editions  of  their  court  cages,  since  these 
were  too  cumbersome  for  active  work  of  the  sort,  and 
painted  all  over  with  various  pigments,  were  just  about 
to  swing  me  after  him  into  the  same,  or  another  canoe, 
when  something  happened.  I  did  not  know  what  it 
was,  but  as  a  result,  my  captors  left  hold  of  me  so  that 
I  fell  to  the  rock,  lying  upon  my  back. 

Then,  within  my  line  of  vision,  which,  it  must  be 
remembered,  was  limited  because  I  could  not  lift  my 
head,  appeared  the  upper  part  of  the  tall  person  of  the 
Ancient  who  said  that  he  was  named  Oro.  I  could  only 
see  him  down  to  his  middle,  but  I  noted  vaguely  that 
he  seemed  to  be  much  changed.  For  instance,  he  wore 
a  different  coloured  dress,  or  rather  robe;  this  time  it 
was  dark  blue,  which  caused  me  to  wonder  where  on 
earth  it  came  from.  Also,  his  tremendous  beard  had 
been  trimmed  and  dressed,  and  on  his  head  there  was  a 
simple  black  cap,  strangely  quilted,  which  looked  as 
though  it  were  made  of  velvet.  Moreover,  his  face  had 
plumped  out.  He  still  looked  ancient,  it  is  true,  and 
unutterably  wise,  but  now;  he  resembled  an  antique 


170  When  the  World  Shook 

youth,  so  great  were  his  energy  and  vigour.  Also,  his 
dark  and  glowing  eyes  shone  with  a  fearful  intensity. 
In  short,  he  seemed  impressive  and  terrible  almost 
beyond  imagining. 

He  looked  about  him  slowly,  then  asked  in  a  deep, 
cold  voice,  speaking  in  the  Orofenan  tongue: 

"  What  do  you,  slaves  ?  " 

No  one  seemed  able  to  answer,  they  were  too  horror- 
stricken  at  this  sudden  vision  of  their  fabled  god,  whose 
fierce  features  of  wood  had  become  flesh;  they  only 
turned  to  fly.  He  waved  his  thin  hand  and  they  came 
to  a  standstill,  like  animals  which  have  reached  the  end 
of  their  tether  and  are  checked  by  the  chains  that  bind 
them.  There  they  stood  in  all  sorts  of  postures,  im- 
movable and  looking  extremely  ridiculous  in  their  paint 
and  feathers,  with  dread  unutterable  stamped  upon  their 
evil  faces. 

The  Sleeper  spoke  again : 

"  You  would  murder  as  did  your  forefathers,  O 
children  of  snakes  and  hogs  fashioned  in  the  shape  of 
men.  You  would  sacrifice  those  who  dwell  in  my 
shadow  to  satisfy  your  hate  because  they  are  wiser  than 
you.  Come  hither  thou,"  and  he  beckoned  with  a  bony 
finger  to  the  chief  magician. 

The  man  advanced  towards  him  in  short  jumps,  as 
a  mechanical  toy  might  do,  and  stood  before  him,  his 
miniature  crate  and  feathers  all  awry  and  the  sweat  of 
terror  melting  the  paint  in  streaks  upon  his  face. 

"  Look  into  the  eyes  of  Oro,  O  worshipper  of  Oro," 
said  the  Sleeper,  and  he  obeyed,  his  own  eyes  starting 
out  of  his  head. 

"  Receive  the  curse  of  Oro,"  said  the  Ancient  again. 

Then  followed  a  terrible  spectacle.     The  man  went 


250,000  Years!  171 

raving  mad.  He  bounded  into  the  air  to  a  height  incon- 
ceivable. He  threw  himself  upon  the  ground  and  rolled 
upon  the  rock.  He  rose  again  and  staggered  round  and 
round,  tearing  pieces  out  of  his  arms  with  his  teeth.  He 
yelled  hideously  like  one  possessed.  He  grovelled,  beat- 
ing his  forehead  against  the  rock.  Then  he  sat  up, 
slowly  choked  and — died. 

His  companions  seemed  to  catch  the  infection  of 
death  as  terrified  savages  often  do.  They  too  performed 
dreadful  antics,  all  except  three  of  them  who  stood 
paralysed.  They  rushed  about  battering  each  other  with 
their  fists  and  wooden  weapons,  looking  like  devils  from 
hell  in  their  hideous  painted  attire.  They  grappled  and 
fought  furiously.  They  separated  and  plunged  into  the 
lake,  where  with  a  last  grimace  they  sank  like  stones. 

It  seemed  to  last  a  long  while,  but  I  think  that  as 
a  matter  of  fact  within  five  minutes  it  was  over;  they 
were  all  dead.  Only  the  three  paralysed  ones  remained 
standing  and  rolling  their  eyes. 

The  Sleeper  beckoned  to  them  with  his  thin  finger, 
and  they  walked  forward  in  step  like  soldiers. 

"  Lift  that  man  from  the  boat,"  he  said,  pointing  to 
Bastin,  "  cut  his  bonds  and  those  of  the  others." 

They  obeyed  with  a  wonderful  alacrity.  In  a  minute 
we  stood  at  liberty  and  were  pulling  the  grass  gags  from 
our  mouths.  The  Ancient  pointed  to  the  head  magician 
who  lay  dead  upon  the  rock,  his  hideous,  contorted 
countenance  staring  open-eyed  at  heaven. 

"  Take  that  sorcerer  and  show  him  to  the  other 
sorcerers  yonder,"  he  said,  "  and  tell  them  where  your 
fellows  are  if  they  would  find  them.  Know  by  these 
signs  that  the  Oro,  god  of  the  Mountain,  who  has  slept 
awhile,  is  awake,  and  ill  will  it  go  with  them  who  ques- 


172  When  the  World  Shook 

tion  his  power  or  dare  to  try  to  harm  those  who  dwell 
in  his  house.  Bring  food  day  by  day  and  await  com- 
mands. Begone ! " 

The  dreadful-looking  body  was  bundled  into  one  of 
the  canoes,  that  out  of  which  Bastin  had  emerged.  A 
rower  sprang  into  each  of  them  and  presently  was 
paddling  as  he  had  never  done  before.  As  the  setting 
moon  vanished,  they  vanished  with  it,  and  once  more 
there  was  a  great  silence. 

"  I  am  going  to  find  my  boots,"  said  Bastin.  "  This 
rock  is  hard  and  I  hurt  my  feet  kicking  at  those  poor 
fellows  who  appear  to  have  come  to  a  bad  end,  how,  I 
do  not  exactly  understand.  Personally,  I  think  that 
more  allowances  should  have  been  made  for  them,  as  I 
hope  will  be  the  case  elsewhere,  since  after  all  they  only 
acted  according  to  their  lights." 

"  Curse  their  lights ! "  ejaculated  Bickley,  feeling 
his  throat  which  was  bruised.  "  I'm  glad  they  are 
out." 

Bastin  limped  away  in  search  of  his  boots,  but 
Bickley  and  I  stood  where  we  were  contemplating  the 
awakened  Sleeper.  All  recollection  of  the  recent  tumul- 
tuous scene  seemed  to  have  passed  from  his  mind,  for 
he  was  engaged  in  a  study  of  the  heavens.  They  were 
wonderfully  brilliant  now  that  the  moon  was  down, 
brilliant  as  they  only  can  be  in  the  tropics  when  the  sky 
is  clear. 

Something  caused  me  to  look  round,  and  there, 
coming  towards  us,  was  she  who  said  her  name  was 
Yva.  Evidently  all  her  weakness  had  departed  also, 
for  now  she  needed  no  support,  but  walked  with  a 
peculiar  gliding  motion  that  reminded  me  of  a  swan 
floating  forward  on  the  water.  Well  had  we  named  her 
the  Glittering  Lady,  for  in  the  starlight  literally  she 


250,000  Years!  173 

seemed  to  glitter.  I  suppose  the  effect  came  from  her 
golden  raiment,  which,  however,  I  noticed,  as  in  her 
father's  case,  was  not  the  same  that  she  had  worn  in  the 
coffin;  also  from  her  hair  that  seemed  to  give  out  a  light 
of  its  own.  At  least,  she  shimmered  as  she  came,  her 
tall  shape  swaying  at  every  step  like  a  willow  in  the 
wind.  She  drew  near,  and  I  saw  that  her  face,  too,  had 
filled  out  and  now  was  that  of  one  in  perfect  health 
and  vigour,  while  her  eyes  shone  softly  and  seemed 
wondrous  large. 

In  her  hands  she  carried  those  two  plates  of  metal 
which  I  had  seen  lying  in  the  coffin  of  the  Sleeper  Oro. 
These  she  gave  to  him,  then  fell  back  out  of  his  hearing 
— if  it  were  ever  possible  to  do  this,  a  point  on  which  I 
am  not  sure — and  began  to  talk  to  me.  I  noted  at  once 
that  in  the  few  hours  during  which  she  was  absent,  her 
knowledge  of  the  Orofenan  tongue  seemed  to  have 
improved  greatly  as  though  she  had  drunk  deeply  from 
some  hidden  fount  of  memory.  Now  she  spoke  it  with 
readiness,  as  Oro  had  done  when  he  addressed  the 
sorcerers,  although  many  of  the  words  she  used  were 
not  known  to  me,  and  the  general  form  of  her  language 
appeared  archaic,  as  for  instance  that  of  Spenser  is 
compared  with  modern  English.  When  she  saw  I  did 
not  comprehend  her,  however,  she  would  stop  and  cast 
her  sentences  in  a  different  shape,  till  at  length  I  caught 
her  meaning.  Now  I  give  the  substance  of  what  she 
said. 

"  You  are  safe,"  she  began,  glancing  first  at  the 
palm  ropes  that  lay  upon  the  rock  and  then  at  my  wrists, 
one  of  which  was  cut. 

"  Yes,  Lady  Yva,  thanks  to  your  father." 

"You  should  say  thanks  to  me.  My  father  was 
thinking  of  other  things,  but  I  was  thinking  of  you 


174  When  the  World  Shook 

strangers,  and  from  where  I  was  I  saw  those  wicked 
ones  coming  to  kill  you." 

"  Oh!  from  the  top  of  the  mountain,  I  suppose." 

She  shook  her  head  and  smiled  but  vouchsafed  no 
further  explanation,  unless  her  following  words  can  be 
so  called.  These  were : 

"  I  can  see  otherwise  than  with  my  eyes,  if  I  choose." 
A  statement  that  caused  Bickley,  who  was  listening,  to 
mutter : 

"  Impossible !  What  the  deuce  can  she  mean  ? 
Telepathy,  perhaps." 

"  I  saw,"  she  continued,  "  and  told  the  Lord,  my 
father.  He  came  forth.  Did  he  kill  them?  I  did  not 
look  to  learn." 

"  Yes.  They  lie  in  the  lake,  all  except  three  whom 
he  sent  away  as  messengers." 

"  I  thought  so.  Death  is  terrible,  O  Humphrey,  but 
it  is  a  sword  which  those  who  rule  must  use  to  smite 
the  wicked  and  the  savage." 

Not  wishing  to  pursue  this  subject,  I  asked  her  what 
her  father  was  doing  with  the  metal  plates. 

"  He  reads  the  stars,"  she  answered,  "  to  learn  how 
long  we  have  been  asleep.  Before  we  went  to  sleep 
he  made  two  pictures  of  them,  as  they  were  then 
and  as  they  should  be  at  the  time  he  had  set  for  our 
awakening." 

"  We  set  that  time,"  interrupted  Bickley. 

"  Not  so,  O  Bickley,"  she  answered,  smiling  again. 
"  In  the  divine  Oro's  head  was  the  time  set.  You  were 
the  hand  that  executed  his  decree." 

When  Bickley  heard  this  I  really  thought  he  would 
have  burst.  However,  he  controlled  himself  nobly, 
being  anxious  to  hear  the  end  of  this  mysterious 
fib. 


ORO'S  CHART    OF  THE   STARS   MADE   BY   HIM   ABOUT 
250,000  YEARS  AGO 


KEY   CHART  TO  THE  ABOVE 


ORO'S  CHART  OF  THE  STARS  AS  HE  CALCULATED  THAT 
THEY  WOULD  APPEAR  AT  HIS  AWAKENING 


KEY  CHART  TO  THE  ABOVE 


250,000  Years!  175 

"  How  long  was  the  time  that  the  lord  Oro  set  apart 
for  sleep  ?  "  I  asked. 

She  paused  as  though  puzzled  to  find  words  to  ex- 
press her  meaning,  then  held  up  her  hands  and  said : 

"Ten,"  nodding  at  her  fingers.  By  second  thoughts 
she  took  Bickley's  hands,  not  mine,  and  counted  his 
ten  fingers. 

"  Ten  years,"  said  Bickley.  "  Well,  of  course,  it  is 
impossible,  but  perhaps "  and  he  paused. 

"  Ten  tens,"  she  went  on  with  a  deepening  smile, 
"  one  hundred." 

"O!"  said  Bickley. 

"  Ten  hundreds,  one  thousand." 

"I  say!"  said  Bickley. 

"Ten  times  ten  thousand,  one  hundred  thousand." 

Bickley  became  silent. 

"Twice  one  hundred  thousand  and  half  a  hundred 
thousand,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  years.  That 
was  the  space  of  time  which  the  lord  Oro,  my  father,  set 
for  our  sleep.  Whether  it  has  been  fulfilled  he  will 
know  presently  when  he  has  read  the  book  of  the  stars 
and  made  comparison  of  it  with  what  he  wrote  before  we 
laid  us  down  to  rest,"  and  she  pointed  to  the  metal  plates 
which  the  Ancient  was  studying. 

Bickley  walked  away,  making  sounds  as  though  he 
were  going  to  be  ill  and  looking  so  absurd  in  his  in- 
dignation that  I  nearly  laughed.  The  Lady  Yva  actually 
did  laugh,  and  very  musical  was  that  laugh. 

"  He  does  not  believe,"  she  said.  "  He  is  so  clever 
he  knows  everything.  But  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand years  ago  we  should  have  thought  him  quite 
stupid.  Then  we  could  read  the  stars  and  calculate  their 
movements  for  ever." 

"  So  can  we,"  I  answered,  rather  nettled. 


176  When  the  World  Shook 

"  I  am  glad,  O  Humphrey,  since  you  will  be  able  to 
show  my  father  if  in  one  of  them  he  is  wrong." 

Secretly  I  hoped  that  this  task  would  not  be  laid  on 
me.  Indeed,  I  thought  it  well  to  change  the  subject  for 
the  edification  of  Bickley  who  had  recovered  and  was 
drawn  back  by  his  eager  curiosity.  Just  then,  too, 
Bastin  joined  us,  happy  in  his  regained  boots. 

"You  tell  us,  Lady  Yva,"  I  said,  "that  you  slept, 
or  should  have  slept  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
years."  Here  Bastin  opened  his  eyes.  "  If  that  was  so, 
where  was  your  mind  all  this  time  ?  " 

"If  by  my  mind  you  mean  spirit,  O  Humphrey,  I 
have  to  answer  that  at  present  I  do  not  know  for  certain. 
I  think,  however,  that  it  dwelt  elsewhere,  perhaps  in 
other  bodies  on  the  earth,  or  some  different  earth.  At 
least,  I  know  that  my  heart  is  very  full  of  memories 
which  as  yet  I  cannot  unroll  and  read." 

"  Great  heavens,  this  is  madness !  "  said  Bickley. 

"  In  the  great  heavens,"  she  answered  slowly,  "  there 
are  many  things  which  you,  poor  man,  would  think  to 
be  madness,  but  yet  are  truth  and  perfect  wisdom. 
These  things,  or  some  of  them,  soon  I  shall  hope  to 
show  you." 

"  Do  if  you  can,"  said  Bickley. 

"  Why  not?  "  interrupted  Bastin.  "  I  think  the  lady's 
remarks  quite  reasonable.  It  seems  to  me  highly  im- 
probable if  really  she  has  slept  for  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  years,  which,  of  course,  I  can't  decide,  that  an 
immortal  spirit  would  be  allowed  to  remain  idle  for  so 
long.  That  would  be  wallowing  in  a  bed  of  idleness 
and  shirking  its  duty  which  is  to  do  its  work.  Also,  as 
she  tells  you,  Bickley,  you  are  not  half  so  clever  as  you 
think  you  are  in  your  silly  scepticism,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  that  there  are  many  things  in  other  worlds  which 


250,000  Years!  177 

would  expose  your  ignorance,  if  only  you  could  see 
them." 

At  this  moment  Oro  turned  and  called  his  daughter. 
She  went  at  once,  saying: 

"  Come,  strangers,  and  you  shall  learn." 

So  we  followed  her. 

"  Daughter,"  he  said,  speaking  in  Orofenan,  I  think 
that  we  might  understand,  "  ask  these  strangers  to  bring 
one  of  those  lamps  of  theirs  that  by  the  light  of  it  I  may 
study  these  writings." 

"  Perhaps  this  may  serve,"  said  Bickley,  suddenly 
producing  an  electric  torch  from  his  pocket  and  flashing 
it  into  his  face.  It  was  his  form  of  repartee  for  all  he 
had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  this  incomprehensible  pair. 
Let  me  say  at  once  that  it  was  singularly  successful. 
Perhaps  the  wisdom  of  the  ages  in  which  Oro  flourished 
had  overlooked  so  small  a  matter  as  electric  torches,  or 
perhaps  he  did  not  expect  to  meet  with  them  in  these 
degenerate  days.  At  any  rate  for  the  first  and  last  time 
in  my  intercourse  with  him  I  saw  the  god,  or  lord — the 
native  word  bears  either  meaning — Oro  genuinely 
astonished.  He  started  and  stepped  back,  and  for  a 
moment  or  two  seemed  a  little  frightened.  Then  mut- 
tering something  as  to  the  cleverness  of  this  light- 
producing  instrument,  he  motioned  to  his  daughter  to 
take  it  from  Bickley  and  hold  it  in  a  certain  position. 
She  obeyed,  and  in  its  illumination  he  began  to  study 
the  engraved  plates,  holding  one  of  them  in  either  hand. 

After  a  while  he  gave  me  one  of  the  plates  to  hold, 
and  with  his  disengaged  hand  pointed  successively  to 
the  constellation  of  Orion,  to  the  stars  Castor,  Pollux, 
Aldebaran,  Rigel,  the  Pleiades,  Sirius  and  others  which 
with  my  very  limited  knowledge  I  could  not  recognise 
offhand.  Then  on  the  plate  which  I  held,  he  showed  us 


178  When  the  World  Shook 

those  same  stars  and  constellations,  checking  them  one 
by  one. 

Then  he  remarked  very  quietly  that  all  was  in  order, 
and  handing  the  plate  he  held  to  Yva,  said : 

"  The  calculations  made  so  long  ago  are  correct,  nor 
have  the  stars  varied  in  their  proper  motions  during 
what  is  after  all  but  an  hour  of  time.  If  you,  Stranger, 
who,  I  understand,  are  named  Humphrey,  should  be,  as 
I  gather,  a  heaven-master,  naturally  you  will  ask  me 
how  I  could  fix  an  exact  date  by  the  stars  without  an 
error  of,  let  us  say,  from  .five  to  ten  thousand  years.  I 
answer  you  that  by  the  proper  motion  of  the  stars  alone 
it  would  have  been  difficult.  Therefore  I  remember  that 
in  order  to  be  exact,  I  calculated  the  future  conjunctions 
of  those  two  planets,"  and  he  pointed  to  Saturn  and 
Jupiter.  "  Finding  that  one  of  these  occurred  near 
yonder  star,"  and  he  indicated  the  bright  orb,  Spica, 
"  at  a  certain  time,  I  determined  that  then  I  would  awake. 
Behold!  There  are  the  stars  as  I  engraved  them  from 
my  foreknowledge,  upon  this  chart,  and  there  those  two 
great  planets  hang  in  conjunction.  Daughter  Yva,  my 
wisdom  has  not  failed  me.  This  world  of  ours  has 
travelled  round  the  sun  neither  less  nor  more  than  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  times  since  we  laid  ourselves 
down  to  sleep.  It  is  written  here,  and  yonder,"  and  he 
pointed,  first  to  the  engraved  plates  and  then  to  the  vast 
expanse  of  the  starlit  heavens. 

Awe  fell  on  me ;  I  think  that  even  Bickley  and  Bastin 
were  awed,  at  any  rate  for  the  moment.  It  was  a  ter- 
rible thing  to  look  on  a  being,  to  all  appearance  more 
or  less  human,  who  alleged  that  he  had  been  asleep  for 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  years,  and  proceeded 
to  prove  it  by  certain  ancient  star  charts.  Of  course  at 
the  time  I  could  not  check  those  charts,  lacking  the 


250,000  Years!  179 

necessary  knowledge,  but  I  have  done  so  since  and 
found  that  they  are  quite  accurate.  However  this  made 
no  difference,  since  the  circumstances  and  something  in 
his  manner  convinced  me  that  he  spoke  the  absolute 
truth. 

He  and  his  daughter  had  been  asleep  for  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  years.  Oh!  Heavens, 
for,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  years! 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ORO  SPEAKS  AND  BASTIN  ARGUES 

THE  reader  of  what  I  have  written,  should  there  ever 
be  such  a  person,  may  find  the  record  marvellous,  and 
therefore  rashly  conclude  that  because  it  is  beyond  ex- 
perience, it  could  not  be.  It  is  not  a  wise  deduction,  as 
I  think  Bickley  would  admit  to-day,  because  without 
doubt  many  things  are  which  surpass  our  extremely 
limited  experience.  However,  those  who  draw  the  veil 
from  the  Unknown  and  reveal  the  New,  must  expect 
incredulity,  and  accept  it  without  grumbling.  Was  that 
not  the  fate,  for  instance,  of  those  who  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  a  few  hundred  years  ago,  discovered,  or  rather 
re-discovered  the  mighty  movements  of  those  constella- 
tions which  served  Oro  for  an  almanac? 

But  the  point  I  want  to  make  is  that  if  the  sceptic 
plays  a  Bickleyan  part  as  regards  what  has  been  written, 
it  seems  probable  that  his  attitude  will  be  accentuated  as 
regards  that  which  it  still  remains  for  me  to  write.  If  so, 
I  cannot  help  it,  and  must  decline  entirely  to  water  down 
or  doctor  facts  and  thus  pander  to  his  prejudice 
and  ignorance.  For  my  part  I  cannot  attempt  to  explain 
these  occurrences;  I  only  know  that  they  happened  and 
that  I  set  down  what  I  saw,  heard  and  felt,  neither  more 
nor  less. 

Immediately  after  Oro  had  triumphantly  vindicated 
his  stellar  calculations  he  turned  and  departed  into  the 
cave,  followed  by  his  daughter,  waving  to  us  to  remain 

BlO 


Oro  Speaks  and  Bastin  Argues         181 

where  we  were.  As  she  passed  us,  however,  the  Glitter- 
ing Lady  whispered — this  time  to  Bastin — that  he  would 
see  them  again  in  a  few  hours,  adding: 

"We  have  much  to  learn  and  I  hope  that  then  you 
who,  I  understand,  are  a  priest,  will  begin  to  teach  us 
of  your  religion  and  other  matters." 

Bastin  was  so  astonished  that  he  could  make  no 
reply,  but  when  they  had  gone  he  said: 

"  Which  of  you  told  her  that  I  was  a  priest  ?  " 

We  shook  our  heads  for  neither  of  us  could  remember 
having  done  so. 

"  Well,  I  did  not,"  continued  Bastin,  "  since  at 
present  I  have  found  no  opportunity  of  saying  a  word 
in  season.  So  I  suppose  she  must  have  gathered  it 
from  my  attire,  though  as  a  matter  of  fact  I  haven't  been 
wearing  a  collar,  and  those  men  who  wanted  to  cook 
me,  pulled  off  my  white  tie  and  I  didn't  think  it  worth 
while  dirtying  a  clean  one." 

"  If,"  said  Bickley,  "  you  imagine  that  you  look  like 
the  minister  of  any  religion  ancient  or  modern  in  a 
grubby  flannel  shirt,  a  battered  sun-helmet,  a  torn  green 
and  white  umbrella  and  a  pair  of  ragged  duck  trousers, 
you  are  mistaken,  Bastin,  that  is  all." 

"  I  admit  that  the  costume  is  not  appropriate,  Bick- 
ley, but  how  otherwise  could  she  have  learned  the 
truth?" 

"  These  people  seem  to  have  ways  of  learning  a  good 
many  things.  But  in  your  case,  Bastin,  the  cause  is 
clear  enough.  You  have  been  walking  about  with  the 
head  of  that  idol  and  always  keep  it  close  to  you.  No 
doubt  they  believe  that  you  are  a  priest  of  the  worship 
of  the  god  of  the  Grove — Baal,  you  know,  or  something 
of  that  sort." 

When  he  heard  this  Bastin's  face  became  a  perfect 


1 82  When  the  World  Shook 

picture.  Never  before  did  I  see  it  so  full  of  horror 
struggling  with  indignation. 

"  I  must  undeceive  them  without  a  moment's  delay," 
he  said,  and  was  starting  for  the  cave  when  we  caught 
his  arms  and  held  him. 

"  Better  wait  till  they  come  back,  old  fellow,"  I  said, 
laughing.  "If  you  disobey  that  Lord  Oro  you  may 
meet  with  another  experience  in  the  sacrifice  line." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,  Arbuthnot.  I  will  occupy 
the  interval  in  preparing  a  suitable  address." 

"  Much  better  occupy  it  in  preparing  breakfast,"  said 
Bickley.  "  I  have  always  noticed  that  you  are  at  your 
best  extempore." 

In  the  end  he  did  prepare  breakfast  though  in  a 
distrait  fashion;  indeed  I  found  him  beginning  to 
make  tea  in  the  frying-pan.  Bastin  felt  that  his 
opportunity  had  arrived,  and  was  making  ready  to  rise 
to  the  occasion. 

Also  we  felt,  all  three  of  us,  that  we  were  extremely 
shabby-looking  objects,  and  though  none  of  us  said  so, 
each  did  his  best  to  improve  his  personal  appearance. 
First  of  all  Bickley  cut  Bastin's  and  my  hair,  after  which 
I  did  him  the  same  service.  Then  Bickley  who  was 
normally  clean  shaven,  set  to  work  to  remove  a  beard 
of  about  a  week's  growth,  and  I  who  wore  one  of  the 
pointed  variety,  trimmed  up  mine  as  best  I  could  with 
the  help  of  a  hand-glass.  Bastin,  too,  performed  on  his 
which  was  of  the  square  and  rather  ragged  type,  wisely 
rejecting  Bickley' s  advice  to  shave  it  off  altogether, 
offered,  I  felt  convinced,  because  he  felt  that  the  result 
on  Bastin  would  be  too  hideous  for  words.  After  this 
we  cut  our  nails,  cleaned  our  teeth  and  bathed;  I  even 
caught  Bickley  applying  hair  tonic  from  his  dressing 
case  in  secret,  behind  a  projecting  rock,  and  borrowed 


Oro  Speaks  and  Bastin  Argues         183 

some  myself.  He  gave  it  me  on  condition  that  I  did 
not  mention  its  existence  to  Bastin  who,  he  remarked, 
would  certainly  use  the  lot  and  make  himself  smell 
horrible. 

Next  we  found  clean  ducks  among  our  store  of  spare 
clothes,  for  the  Orofenans  had  brought  these  with  our 
other  possessions,  and  put  them  on,  even  adding  silk 
cumberbunds  and  neckties.  My  tie  I  fastened  with  a 
pin  that  I  had  obtained  in  Egypt.  It  was  a  tiny  gold 
statuette  of  very  fine  and  early  workmanship,  of  the  god 
Osiris,  wearing  the  crown  of  the  Upper  Land  with  the 
uraeus  crest,  and  holding  in  his  hands,  which  projected 
from  the  mummy  wrappings,  the  emblems  of  the  crook, 
the  scourge  and  the  crux  ansata,  or  Sign  of  Life. 

Bastin,  for  his  part,  arrayed  himself  in  full  clerical 
costume,  black  coat  and  trousers,  white  tie  and  stick-up 
clergyman's  collar  which,  as  he  remarked,  made  him  feel 
extremely  hot  in  that  climate,  and  were  unsuitable  to 
domestic  duties,  such  as  washing-up.  I  offered  to  hold 
his  coat  while  he  did  this  office  and  told  him  he  looked 
very  nice  indeed. 

"  Beautiful!  "  remarked  Bickley,  "  but  why  don't  you 
put  on  your  surplice  and  biretta?"  (Being  very  High- 
Church  Bastin  did  wear  a  biretta  on  festival  Sundays  at 
home.)  "  There  would  be  no  mistake  about  you  then." 

"  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  suitable,"  replied  Bastin 
whose  sense  of  humour  was  undeveloped.  "  There  is  no 
service  to  be  performed  at  present  and  no  church,  though 
perhaps  that  cave "  and  he  stopped. 

When  we  had  finished  these  vain  adornments  and 
Bastin  had  put  away  the  things  and  tidied  up,  we  sat 
down,  rather  at  a  loose  end.  We  should  have  liked  to 
walk  but  refrained  from  doing  so  for  fear  lest  we  might 
dirty  our  clean  clothes.  So  we  just  sat  and  thought.  At 


184  When  the  World  Shook 

least  Bickley  thought,  and  so  did  I  for  a  while  until  I 
gave  it  up.  What  was  the  use  of  thinking,  seeing  that 
we  were  face  to  face  with  circumstances  which  baffled 
reason  and  beggared  all  recorded  human  experience? 
What  Bastin  did  I  am  sure  I  do  not  know,  but  I  think 
from  the  expression  of  his  countenance  that  he  was 
engaged  in  composing  sermons  for  the  benefit  of  Oro 
and  the  Glittering  Lady. 

One  diversion  we  did  have.  About  eleven  o'clock  a 
canoe  came  from  the  main  island  laden  with  provisions 
and  paddled  by  Marama  and  two  of  his  people.  We 
seized  our  weapons,  remembering  our  experiences  of  the 
night,  but  Marama  waved  a  bough  in  token  of  peace. 
So,  carrying  our  revolvers,  we  went  to  the  rock  edge  to 
meet  him.  He  crept  ashore  and,  chief  though  he  was, 
prostrated  himself  upon  his  face  before  us,  which  told 
me  that  he  had  heard  of  the  fate  of  the  sorcerers.  His 
apologies  were  abject.  He  explained  that  he  had  no 
part  in  the  outrage  of  the  attack,  and  besought  us  to 
intercede  on  behalf  of  him  and  his  people  with  the 
awakened  god  of  the  Mountain  whom  he  looked  for  with 
a  terrified  air. 

We  consoled  him  as  well  as  we  could,  and  told  him 
that  he  had  best  be  gone  before  the  god  of  the  Mountain 
appeared,  and  perhaps  treated  him  as  he  had  done  the 
sorcerers.  In  his  name,  however;  we  commanded 
Marama  to  bring  materials  and  build  us  a  proper  house 
upon  the  rock,  also  to  be  sure  to  keep  up  a  regular  and 
ample  supply  of  provisions.  If  he  did  these  things, 
and  anything  else  we  might  from  time  to  time  command, 
we  said  that  perhaps  his  life  and  those  of  his  people 
would  be  spared.  This,  however,  after  the  evil  be- 
haviour of  some  of  them  of  course  we  could  not 
guarantee. 


Oro  Speaks  and  Bastin  Argues         185 

Marama  departed  so  thoroughly  frightened  that  he 
even  forgot  to  make  any  inquiries  as  to  who  this  god 
of  the  Mountain  might  be,  or  where  he  came  from,  or 
whither  he  was  going.  Of  course,  the  place  had  been 
sacred  among  his  people  from  the  beginning,  whenever 
that  may  have  been,  but  that  its  sacredness  should 
materialise  into  an  active  god  who  brought  sorcerers  of 
the  highest  reputation  to  a  most  unpleasant  end,  just 
because  they  wished  to  translate  their  preaching  into 
practice,  was  another  matter.  It  was  not  to  be  explained 
even  by  the  fact  of  which  he  himself  had  informed  me, 
that  during  the  dreadful  storm  of  some  months  before, 
the  cave  mouth  which  previously  was  not  visible  on  the 
volcano,  had  suddenly  been  lifted  up  above  the  level 
of  the  Rock  of  Offerings,  although,  of  course,  all 
religious  and  instructed  persons  would  have  expected 
something  peculiar  to  happen  after  this  event. 

Such  I  knew  were  his  thoughts,  but,  as  I  have  said, 
he  was  too  frightened  and  too  hurried  to  express  them 
in  questions  that  I  should  have  found  it  extremely 
difficult  to  answer.  As  it  was  he  departed  quite  uncer- 
tain as  to  whether  one  of  us  was  not  the  real  "  god  of 
the  Mountain,"  who  had  power  to  bring  hideous  death 
upon  his  molesters.  After  all,  what  had  he  to  go  on  to 
the  contrary,  except  the  word  of  three  priests  who  were 
so  terrified  that  they  could  give  no  coherent  account  of 
what  had  happened?  Of  these  events,  it  was  true,  there 
was  evidence  in  the  twisted  carcass  of  their  lamented  high 
sorcerer,  and,  for  the  matter  of  that,  of  certain  corpses 
which  he  had  seen,  that  lay  in  shallow  water  at  the 
bottom  of  the  lake.  Beyond  all  was  vague,  and  in  his 
heart  I  am  sure  that  Marama  believed  that  Bastin  was 
the  real  "  god  of  the  Mountain."  Naturally,  he  would 


i86  When  the  World  Shook 

desire  to  work  vengeance  on  those  who  tried  to  sacrifice 
and  eat  him.  Moreover,  had  he  not  destroyed  the  image 
of  the  god  of  the  Grove  and  borne  away  its  head  whence 
he  had  sucked  magic  and  power? 

Thus  argued  Marama,  disbelieving  the  tale  of  the 
frightened  sorcerers,  for  he  admitted  as  much  to  me  in 
after  days. 

Mafama  departed  in  a  great  hurry,  fearing  lest  the 
"  god  of  the  Mountain,"  or  Bastin,  whose  new  and 
splendid  garb  he  regarded  with  much  suspicion,  might 
develop  some  evil  energy  against  him.  Then  we  went 
back  to  our  camp,  leaving  the  industrious  Bastin, 
animated  by  a  suggestion  from  Bickley  that  the  fruit  and 
food  might  spoil  if  left  in  the  sun,  to  carry  it  into  the 
shade  of  the  cave.  Owing  to  the  terrors  of  the 
Orofenans  the  supply  was  so  large  that  to  do  this  he 
must  make  no  fewer  than  seven  journeys,  which  he  did 
with  great  good  will  since  Bastin  loved  physical  exercise. 
The  result  on  his  clerical  garments,  however,  was 
disastrous.  His  white  tie  went  awry,  squashed  fruit  and 
roast  pig  gravy  ran  down  his  waistcoat  and  trousers,  and 
his  high  collar  melted  into  limp  crinkles  in  the  mois- 
ture engendered  by  the  tropical  heat.  Only  his  long 
coat  escaped,  since  that  Bickley  kindly  carried  for  him. 

It  was  just  as  he  arrived  with  the  seventh  load  in 
this  extremely  dishevelled  condition  that  Oro  and  his 
daughter  emerged  from  the  cave.  Indeed  Bastin,  who, 
being  shortsighted,  always  wore  spectacles  that,  owing 
to  his  heated  state  were  covered  with  mist,  not  seeing 
that  dignitary,  dumped  down  the  last  basket  on  to  his 
toes,  exclaiming: 

"  There,  you  lazy  beggar,  I  told  you  I  would  bring 
it  all,  and  I  have." 


Oro  Speaks  and  Bastin  Argues         187 

In  fact  he  thought  he  was  addressing  Bickley  and 
playing  off  on  him  a  troglodytic  practical  joke. 

Oro,  however,  who  at  his  age  did  not  appreciate 
jokes,  resented  it  and  was  about  to  do  something 
unpleasant  when  with  extraordinary  tact  his  daughter 
remarked : 

"  Bastin  the  priest  makes  you  offerings.  Thank  him, 
O  Lord  my  father." 

So  Oro  thanked  him,  not  too  cordially  for  evidently 
he  still  had  feeling  in  his  toes,  and  once  more  Bastin 
escaped.  Becoming  aware  of  his  error,  he  began  to 
apologise  profusely  in  English,  while  the  lady  Yva 
studied  him  carefully. 

"  Is  that  the  costume  of  the  priests  of  your  religion, 
O  Bastin  ?  "  she  asked,  surveying  his  dishevelled  form. 
"If  so,  you  were  better  without  it." 

Then  Bastin  retired  to  straighten  his  tie,  and  grab- 
bing his  coat  from  Bickley,  who  handed  it  to  him  with 
a  malicious  smile,  forced  his  perspiring  arms  into  it  in 
a  peculiarly  awkward  and  elephantine  fashion. 

Meanwhile  Bickley  and  I  produced  two  camp  chairs 
which  we  had  made  ready,  and  on  these  the  wondrous 
pair  seated  themselves  side  by  side. 

"  We  have  come  to  learn,"  said  Oro.     "  Teach !  " 

"  Not  so,  Father,"  interrupted  Yva,  who,  I  noted,  was 
clothed  in  yet  a  third  costume,  though  whence  these 
came  I  could  not  imagine.  "  First  I  would  ask  a 
question.  Whence  are  you,  Strangers,  and  how  came 
you  here  ?  " 

"  We  are  from  the  country  called  England  and  a 
great  storm  shipwrecked  us  here;  that,  I  think,  which 
raised  the  mouth  of  the  cave  above  the  level  of  this 
rock,"  I  answered. 


1 88  When  the  World  Shook 

"  The  time  appointed  having  come  when  it  should 
be  raised,"  said  Oro  as  though  to  himself. 

"  Where  is  England  ?  "  asked  Yva. 

Now  among  the  books  we  had  with  us  was  a  pocket 
atlas,  quite  a  good  one  of  its  sort.  By  way  of  answer 
I  opened  it  at  the  map  of  the  world  and  showed  her 
England.  Also  I  showed,  to  within  a  thousand  miles  or 
so,  that  spot  on  the  earth's  surface  where  we  spoke 
together. 

The  sight  of  this  atlas  excited  the  pair  greatly.  They 
had  not  the  slightest  difficulty  in  understanding  every- 
thing about  it  and  the  shape  of  the  world  with  its 
division  into  hemispheres  seemed  to  be  quite  familiar 
to  them.  What  appeared  chiefly  to  interest  them,  and 
especially  Oro,  were  the  relative  areas  and  positions  of 
land  and  sea. 

"  Of  this,  Strangers,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  map, 
"  I  shall  have  much  to  say  to  you  when  I  have  studied 
the  pictures  of  your  book  and  compared  them  with 
others  of  my  own." 

"  So  he  has  got  maps,"  said  Bickley  in  English, 
"  as  well  as  star  charts.  I  wonder  where  he  keeps 
them." 

"  With  his  clothes,  I  expect,"  suggested  Bastin. 

Meanwhile  Oro  had  hidden  the  atlas  in  his  ample 
robe  and  motioned  to  his  daughter  to  proceed. 

"  Why  do  you  come  here  from  England  so  far 
away?"  the  Lady  Yva  asked,  a  question  to  which  each 
of  us  had  an  answer. 

"  To  see  new  countries,"  I  said. 

"  Because  the  cyclone  brought  us,"  said  Bickley. 

"  To  convert  the  heathen  to  my  own  Christian 
religion,"  said  Bastin,  which  was  not  strictly  true. 

It  was  on  this  last  reply  that  she  fixed. 


Oro  Speaks  and  Bastin  Argues         189 

"  What  does  your  reHgion  teach  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  It  teaches  that  those  who  accept  it  and  obey  its 
commands  will  live  again  after  death  for  ever  in  a 
better  world  where  is  neither  sorrow  nor  sin/'  he  an- 
swered. 

When  he  heard  this  saying  I  saw  Oro  start  as  though 
struck  by  a  new  thought  and  look  at  Bastin  with  a 
curious  intentness. 

"Who  are  the  heathen?"  Yva  asked  again  after  a 
pause,  for  she  also  seemed  to  be  impressed. 

"  All  who  do  not  agree  with  Bastin's  spiritual  views," 
answered  Bickley. 

"  Those  who,  whether  from  lack  of  instruction  or 
from  hardness  of  heart,  do  not  follow  the  true  faith.  For 
instance,  I  suppose  that  your  father  and  you  are 
heathen,"  replied  Bastin  stoutly. 

This  seemed  to  astonish  them,  but  presently  Yva 
caught  his  meaning  and  smiled,  while  Oro  said : 

"  Of  this  great  matter  of  faith  we  will  talk  later.  It 
is  an  old  question  in  the  world." 

"  Why,"  went  on  Yva,  "  if  you  wished  to  travel  so 
far  did  you  come  in  a  ship  that  so  easily  is  wrecked? 
Why  did  you  not  journey  through  the  air,  or  better 
still,  pass  through  space,  leaving  your  bodies  asleep, 
as,  being  instructed,  doubtless  you  can  do  ?  " 

"  As  regards  your  first  question,"  I  answered, 
"there  are  no  aircraft  known  that  can  make  so  long 
a  journey." 

"  And  as  regards  the  second,"  broke  in  Bickley,  "  we 
did  not  do  so  because  it  is  impossible  for  men  to  trans- 
fer themselves  to  other  places  through  space  either  with 
or  without  their  bodies." 

At  this  information  the  Glittering  Lady  lifted  her 
arched  eyebrows  and  smiled  a  little,  while  Oro  said: 


When  the  World  Shook 

"  I  perceive  that  the  new  world  has  advanced  but  a 
little  way  on  the  road  of  knowledge." 

Fearing  that  Bastin  was  about  to  commence  an  argu- 
ment, I  began  to  ask  questions  in  my  turn. 

"  Lord  Oro  and  Lady  Yva,"  I  said,  "  we  have  told 
you  something  of  ourselves  and  will  tell  you  more  when 
you  desire  it.  But  pardon  us  if  first  we  pray  you  to 
tell  us  what  we  burn  to  know.  Who  are  you?  Of  what 
race  and  country?  And  how  came  it  that  we  found  you 
sleeping  yonder?  " 

"  If  it  be  your  pleasure,  answer,  my  Father,"  said 
Yva. 

Oro  thought  a  moment,  then  replied  in  a  calm 
voice : 

"  I  am  a  king  who  once  ruled  most  of  the  world  as  it 
was  in  my  day,  though  it  is  true  that  much  of  it  rebelled 
against  me,  my  councillors  and  servants.  Therefore  I 
destroyed  the  world  as  it  was  then,  save  only  certain 
portions  whence  life  might  spread  to  the  new  countries 
that  I  raised  up.  Having  done  this  I  put  myself  and  my 
daughter  to  sleep  for  a  space  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  years,  that  there  might  be  time  for  fresh 
civilisations  to  arise.  Now  I  begin  to  think  that  I  did 
not  allot  a  sufficiency  of  ages,  since  I  perceive  from  what 
you  tell  me,  that  the  learning  of  the  new  races  is  as  yet 
but  small." 

Bickley  and  I  looked  at  each  other  and  were  silent. 
Mentally  we  had  collapsed.  Who  could  begin  to  discuss 
statements  built  upon  such  a  foundation  of  gigantic  and 
paralysing  falsehoods? 

Well,  Bastin  could  for  one.  With  no  more  surprise 
in  his  voice  than  if  he  were  talking  about  last  night's 
dinner,  he  said: 

"  There  must  be  a  mistake  somewhere,  or  perhaps  I 


Oro  Speaks  and  Bastin  Argues         191 

misunderstand  you.  It  is  obvious  that  you,  being  a 
man,  could  not  have  destroyed  the  world.  That  could 
only  be  done  by  the  Power  which  made  it  and  you." 

I  trembled  for  the  results  of  Bastin's  methods  of 
setting  out  the  truth.  To  my  astonishment,  however, 
Oro  replied : 

"  You  speak  wisely,  Priest,  but  the  Power  you  name 
may  use  instruments  to  accomplish  its  decrees.  I  am 
such  an  instrument." 

"  Quite  so,"  said  Bastin,  "  just  like  anybody  else. 
You  have  more  knowledge  of  the  truth  than  I  thought. 
But  pray,  how  did  you  destroy  the  world?  " 

"  Using  my  wisdom  to  direct  the  forces  that  are  at 
work  in  the  heart  of  this  great  globe,  I  drowned  it  with 
a  deluge,  causing  one  part  to  sink  and  another  to  rise, 
also  changes  of  climate  which  completed  the  work." 

"  That's  quite  right,"  exclaimed  Bastin  delightedly. 
"  We  know  all  about  the  Deluge,  only  you  are  not  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  matter.  A  man,  Noah, 
had  to  do  with  it  when  he  was  six  hundred  years  old." 

"  Six  hundred  ?  "  said  Oro.  "  That  is  not  very  old. 
I  myself  had  seen  more  than  a  thousand  years  when  I 
lay  down  to  sleep." 

"  A  thousand !  "  remarked  Bastin,  mildly  interested. 
"  That  is  unusual,  though  some  of  these  mighty  men  of 
renown  we  know  lived  over  nine  hundred." 

Here  Bickley  snorted  and  exclaimed : 

"  Nine  hundred  moons,"  he  means. 

"  I  did  not  know  Noah,"  went  on  Oro.  "  Perhaps  he 
lived  after  my  time  and  caused  some  other  local  deluge. 
Is  there  anything  else  you  wish  to  ask  me  before  I  leave 
you  that  I  may  study  this  map-writing?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Bastin.  •  "  Why  were  you  allowed  to 
drown  your  world?" 


192  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Because  it  was  evil,  Priest,  and  disobeyed  me  and 
the  Power  I  serve." 

"  Oh !  thank  you,"  said  Bastin,  "  that  fits  in  exactly. 
It  was  just  the  same  in  Noah's  time." 

"  I  pray  that  it  is  not  just  the  same  now,"  said  Oro, 
rising.  "  To-morrow  we  will  return,  or  if  I  do  not  who 
have  much  that  I  must  do,  the  lady  my  daughter  will 
return  and  speak  with  you  further." 

He  departed  into  the  cave,  Yva  following  at  a  little 
distance. 

I  accompanied  her  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  as 
did  Tommy,  who  all  this  time  had  been  sitting  con- 
tentedly upon  the  hem  of  her  gorgeous  robe,  quite 
careless  of  its  immemorial  age,  if  it  was  immemorial  and 
not  woven  yesterday,  a  point  on  which  I  had  no 
information. 

"Lady  Yva,"  I  said,  "did  I  rightly  understand  the 
Lord  Oro  to  say  that  he  was  a  thousand  years  old  ?  " 

"Yes,  O  Humphrey,  and  really  he  is  more,  or  so  I 
think." 

"Then  are  you  a  thousand  years  old  also?"  I  asked, 
aghast. 

"  No,  no,"  she  replied,  shaking  her  head,  "I  am 
young,  quite  young,  for  I  do  not  count  my  time  of 
sleep." 

"  Certainly  you  look  it,"  I  said.  "  But  what,  Lady 
Yva,  do  you  mean  by  young  ?  " 

She  answered  my  question  by  another. 

"  What  age  are  your  women  when  they  are  as  I  am  ?  " 

"  None  of  our  women  were  ever  quite  like  you,  Lady 
Yva.  Yet,  say  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  years  of  age." 

"  Ah !  I  have  been  counting  and  now  I  remember. 
When  my  father  sent  me  to  sleep  I  was  twenty-seven 
years  old.  No,  I  will  not  deceive  you,  I  was  twenty- 


Oro  Speaks  and  Bastin  Argues        193 

seven  years  and  three  moons."  Then,  saying  something 
to  the  effect  that  she  would  return,  she  departed,  laugh- 
ing a  little  in  a  mischievous  way,  and,  although  I  did 
not  observe  this  till  afterwards,  Tommy  departed  with 
her. 

When  I  repeated  what  she  had  said  to  Bastin  and 
Bickley,  who  were  standing  at  a  distance  straining  their 
ears  and  somewhat  aggrieved,  the  former  remarked: 

"If  she  is  twenty-seven  her  father  must  have  married 
late  in  life,  though  of  course  it  may  have  been  a  long 
while  before  he  had  children." 

Then  Bickley,  who  had  been  suppressing  himself  all 
this  while,  went  off  like  a  bomb. 

"  Do  you  tell  us,  Bastin,"  he  asked,  "  that  you  believe 
one  word  of  all  this  ghastly  rubbish?  I  mean  as  to 
that  antique  charlatan  being  a  thousand  years  old  and 
having  caused  the  Flood  and  the  rest?  " 

"If  you  ask  me,  Bickley,  I  see  no  particular  reason  to 
doubt  it  at  present.  A  person  who  can  go  to  sleep  in  a 
glass  coffin  kept  warm  by  a  pocketful  of  radium  together 
with  very  accurate  maps  of  the  constellations  at  the  time 
he  wakes  up,  can,  I  imagine,  do  most  things." 

"  Even  cause  the  Deluge,"  jeered  Bickley. 

"  I  don't  know  about  the  Deluge,  but  perhaps  he 
may  have  been  permitted  to  cause  a  deluge.  Why  not? 
You  can't  look  at  things  from  far  enough  off,  Bickley. 
And  if  something  seems  big  to  you,  you  conclude  that 
therefore  it  is  impossible.  The  same  Power  which  gives 
you  skill  to  succeed  in  an  operation,  that  hitherto  was 
held  impracticable,  as  I  know  you  have  done  once  or 
twice,  may  have  given  that  old  fellow  power  to  cause  a 
deluge.  You  should  measure  the  universe  and  its 
possibilities  by  worlds  and  not  by  acres,  Bickley." 

"And  believe,   I    suppose,   that  .a   man   can   live   a 


194  When  the  World  Shook 

thousand  years,  whereas  we  know  well  that  he  cannot 
live  more  than  about  a  hundred." 

"  You  don't  know  anything  of  the  sort,  Bickley.  All 
you  know  is  that  over  the  brief  period  of  history  with 
which  we  are  acquainted,  say  ten  thousand  years  at 
most,  men  have  only  lived  to  about  a  hundred.  But  the 
very  rocks  which  you  are  so  fond  of  talking  about,  tell 
us  that  even  this  planet  is  millions  upon  millions  of 
years  of  age.  Who  knows  then  but  that  at  some  time 
in  its  history,  men  did  not  live  for  a  thousand  years, 
and  that  lost  civilisations  did  not  exist  of  which  this  Oro 
and  his  daughter  may  be  two  survivors  ?  " 

"There  is  no  proof  of  anything  of  the  sort,"  said 
Bickley. 

"  I  don't  know  about  proof,  as  you  understand 
it,  though  I  have  read  in  Plato  of  a  continent  called 
Atlantis  'that  was  submerged,  according  to  the  story  of 
old  Egyptians  priests.  But  personally  I  have  every  proof, 
for  it  is  all  written  down  in  the  Bible  at  which  you  turn 
up  your  nose,  and  I  am  very  glad  that  I  have  been  lucky 
enough  to  come  across  this  unexpected  confirmation  of 
the  story.  Not  that  it  matters  much,  since  I  should 
have  learned  all  about  it  when  it  pleases  Providence 
to  remove  me  to  a  better  world,  which  in  our  circum- 
stances may  happen  any  day.  Now  I  must  change  my 
clothes  before  I  see  to  the  cooking  and  other  things." 

"  I  am  bound  to  admit,"  said  Bickley,  looking  after 
him,  "  that  old  Bastin  is  not  so  stupid  as  he  seems. 
From  his  point  of  view  the  arguments  he  advances  are 
quite  logical.  Moreover  I  think  he  is  right  when  he 
says  that  we  look  at  things  through  the  wrong  end  of  the 
telescope.  After  all  the  universe  is  very  big  and  who 
knows  what  may  happen  there?  Who  knows  even 
what  may  have  happened  on  this  little  earth  during  the 


Oro  Speaks  and  Bastin  Argues         195 

aeons  of  its  existence,  whenever  its  balance  chanced  to 
shift,  as  the  Ice  Ages  show  us  it  has  often  done?  Still 
I  believe  that  old  Oro  to  be  a  Prince  of  Liars." 

"  That  remains  to  be  proved,"  I  answered  cautiously. 
"  All  I  know  is  that  he  is  a  wonderfully  learned  person 
of  most  remarkable  appearance,  and  that  his  daughter  is 
the  loveliest  creature  I  ever  saw." 

"  There  I  agree,"  said  Bickley  decidedly,  "  and  as 
brilliant  as  she  is  lovely.  If  she  belongs  to  a  past 
civilisation,  it  is  a  pity  that  it  ever  became  extinct.  Now 
let's  go  and  have  a  nap.  Bastin  will  call  us  when 
supper  is  ready." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   UNDER-WORLD 

THAT  night  we  slept  well  and  without  fear,  being  quite 
certain  that  after  their  previous  experience  the  Oro- 
fenans  would  make  no  further  attempts  upon  us.  In- 
deed our  only  anxiety  was  for  Tommy,  whom  we  could 
not  find  when  the  time  came  to  give  him  his  supper. 
Bastin,  however,  seemed  to  remember  having  seen  him 
following  the  Glittering  Lady  into  the  cave.  This,  of 
course,  was  possible,  as  certainly  he  had  taken  an 
enormous  fancy  to  her  and  sat  himself  down  as  close  to 
her  as  he  could  on  every  occasion.  He  even  seemed  to 
like  the  ancient  Oro,  and  was  not  afraid  to  jump  up  and 
plant  his  dirty  paws  upon  that  terrific  person's  gor- 
geous robe.  Moreover  Oro  liked  him,  for  several  times 
I  observed  him  pat  the  dog  upon  the  head;  as  I  think  I 
have  said,  the  only  human  touch  that  I  had  perceived 
about  him.  So  we  gave  up  searching  and  calling  in 
the  hope  that  he  was  safe  with  our  supernatural  friends. 
The  next  morning  quite  early  the  Lady  Yva  ap- 
peared alone;  no,  not  alone,  for  with  her  came  our  lost 
Tommy  looking  extremely  spry  and  well  at  ease.  The 
faithless  little  wretch  just  greeted  us  in  a  casual  fashion 
and  then  went  and  sat  by  Yva.  In  fact  when  the  awk- 
ward Bastin  managed  to  stumble  over  the  end  of  her 
dress  Tommy  growled  at  him  and  showed  his  teeth. 
Moreover  the  dog  was  changed.  He  was  blessed  with 
a  shiny  black  coat,  but  now  this  coat  sparkled  in  the 
sunlight,  like  the  Lady  Yva's  hair. 

196 


The  Under-world  197 

"The  Glittering  Lady  is  all  very  well,  but  I'm  not 
sure  that  I  care  for  a  glittering  dog.  It  doesn't  look 
quite  natural,"  said  Bastin,  contemplating  him. 

"Why  does  Tommy  shine,  Lady?  "  I  asked. 

"  Because  I  washed  him  in  certain  waters  that  we 
have,  so  that  now  he  looks  beautiful  and  smells  sweet," 
she  answered,  laughing. 

It  was  true,  the  dog  did  smell  sweet,  which  I  may 
add  had  not  always  been  the  case  with  him,  especially 
when  there  were  dead  fish  about.  Also  he  appeared  to 
have  been  fed,  for  he  turned  up  his  nose  at  the  bits  we 
had  saved  for  his  breakfast. 

"  He  has  drunk  of  the  Life-water,"  explained  Yva, 
"  and  will  want  no  food  for  two  days." 

Bickley  pricked  up  his  ears  at  this  statement  and 
looked  incredulous. 

"  You  do  not  believe,  O  Bickley,"  she  said,  studying 
him  gravely.  "  Indeed,  you  believe  nothing.  You  think 
my  father  and  I  tell  you  many  lies.  Bastin  there,  he  be- 
lieves all.  Humphrey?  He  is  not  sure;  he  thinks  to 
himself,  I  will  wait  and  find  out  whether  or  no  these 
funny  people  cheat  me." 

Bickley  coloured  and  made  some  remark  about  things 
which  were  contrary  to  experience,  also  that  Tommy  in 
a  general  way  was  rather  a  greedy  little  dog. 

"  You,  too,  like  to  eat,  Bickley "  (this  was  true,  he 
had  an  excellent  appetite),  "but  when  you  have  drunk 
the  Life-water  you  will  care  much  less." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  interrupted  Bastin,  "  for 
Bickley  wants  a  lot  of  cooking  done,  and  I  find  it 
tedious." 

"  You  eat  also,  Lady,"  said  Bickley. 

"  Yes,  I  eat  sometimes  because  I  like  it,  but  I  can  go 
weeks  and  not  eat,  when  I  have  the  Life-water.  Just 


198  When  the  World  Shook 

now,  after  so  long  a  sleep,  I  am  hungry.  Please  give  me 
some  of  that  fruit.  No,  not  the  flesh,  flesh  I  hate." 

We  handed  it  to  her.  She  took  two  plantains,  peeled 
and  ate  them  with  extraordinary  grace.  Indeed  she  re- 
minded me,  I  do  not  know  why,  of  some  lovely  butterfly 
drawing  its  food  from  a  flower. 

While  she  ate  she  observed  us  closely ;  nothing  seemed 
to  escape  the  quick  glances  of  those  beautiful  eyes. 
Presently  she  said: 

"  What,  O  Humphrey,  is  that  with  which  you  fasten 
your  neckdress?  "  and  she  pointed  to  the  little  gold  statue 
of  Osiris  that  I  used  as  a  pin. 

I  told  her  that  it  was  a  statuette  of  a  god  named 
Osiris  and  very,  very  ancient,  probably  quite  five  thou- 
sand years  old,  a  statement  at  which  she  smiled  a  little; 
also  that  it  came  from  Egypt. 

"  Ah !  "  she  answered,  "  is  it  so  ?  I  asked  because  we 
have  figures  that  are  very  like  to  that  one,  and  they  also 
hold  in  their  hands  a  staff  surmounted  by  a  loop.  They 
are  figures  of  Sleep's  brother — Death." 

"  So  is  this,"  I  said.  "  Among  the  Egyptians  Osiris 
was  the  god  of  Death." 

She  nodded  and  replied  that  doubtless  the  symbol  had 
come  down  to  them. 

"  One  day  you  shall  take  me  to  see  this  land  which  you 
call  so  very  old.  Or  I  will  take  you,  which  would  be 
quicker,"  she  added. 

We  all  bowed  and  said  we  should  be  delighted.  Even 
Bastin  appeared  anxious  to  revisit  Egypt  in  such  com- 
pany, though  when  he  was  there  it  seemed  to  bore  him. 
But  what  she  meant  about  taking  us  I  could  hot  guess. 
Nor  had  we  time  to  ask  her,  for  she  went  on,  watching 
our  faces  as  she  spoke. 


The  Under- world  199 

"  The  Lord  Oro  sends  you  a  message,  Strangers.  He 
asks  whether  it  is  your  wish  to  see  where  we  dwell.  He 
adds  that  you  are  not  to  come  if  you  do  not  desire,  or  if 
you  fear  danger." 

We  all  answered  that  there  was  nothing  we  should 
like  better,  but  Bastin  added  that  he  had  already  seen 
the  tomb. 

"  Do  you  think,  Bastin,  that  we  live  in  a  tomb  because 
we  slept  there  for  a  while,  awaiting  the  advent  of  you 
wanderers  at  the  appointed  hour?  " 

"  I  don't  see  where  else  it  could  be,  unless  it  is  further 
down  that  cave,"  said  Bastin.  "  The  top  of  the  moun- 
tain would  not  be  convenient  as  a  residence." 

"  It  has  not  been  convenient  for  many  an  age,  for 
reasons  that  I  will  show  you.  Think  now,  before  you 
come.  You  have  naught  to  fear  from  us,  and  I  believe 
that  no  harm  will  happen  to  you.  But  you  will  see  many 
strange  things  that  will  anger  Bickley  because  he  cannot 
understand  them,  and  perhaps  will  weary  Bastin  because 
his  heart  turns  from  what  is  wondrous  and  ancient.  Only 
Humphrey  will  rejoice  in  them  because  the  doors  of  his 
soul  are  open  and  he  longs — what  do  you  long  for, 
Humphrey?  " 

"  That  which  I  have  lost  and  fear  I  shall  never  find 
again,"  I  answered  boldly. 

"  I  know  that  you  have  lost  many  things — last  night, 
for  instance,  you  lost  Tommy,  and  when  he  slept  with 
me  he  told  me  much  about  you  and — others." 

"  This  is  ridiculous,"  broke  in  Bastin.  "  Can  a  dog 
talk?" 

"  Everything  can  talk,  if  you  understand  its  language, 
Bastin.  But  keep  a  good  heart,  Humphrey,  for  the  bold 
seeker  finds  in  the  end.  Oh!  foolish  man,  do  you  not 


200  When  the  World  Shook 

understand  that  all  is  yours  if  you  have  but  the  soul  to 
conceive  and  the  will  to  grasp?  All,  all,  below,  between, 
above !  Even  I  know  that,  I  who  have  so  much  to  learn." 

So  she  spoke  and  became  suddenly  magnificent.  Her 
face  which  had  been  but  that  of  a  super-lovely  woman, 
took  on  grandeur.  Her  bosom  swelled;  her  presence 
radiated  some  subtle  power,  much  as  her  hair  radiated 
light. 

In  a  moment  it  was  gone  and  she  was  smiling  and 
jesting. 

"  Will  you  come,  Strangers,  where  Tommy  was  not 
afraid  to  go,  down  to  the  Under-world?  Or  will  you 
stay  here  in  the  sun  ?  Perhaps  you  will  do  better  to  stay 
here  in  the  sun,  for  the  Under-world  has  terrors  for 
weak  hearts  that  were  born  but  yesterday,  and  feeble 
feet  may  stumble  in  the  dark." 

"  I  shall  take  my  electric  torch,"  said  Bastin  with  de- 
cision, "  and  I  advise  you  fellows  to  do  the  same.  I  al- 
ways hated  cellars,  and  the  catacombs  at  Rome  are  worse, 
though  full  of  sacred  interest." 

Then  we  started,  Tommy  frisking  on  ahead  in  a  most 
provoking  way  as  though  he  were  bored  by  a  visit  to  a 
strange  house  and  going  home,  and  Yva  gliding  forward 
with  a  smile  upon  her  face  that  was  half  mystic  and  half 
mischievous.  We  passed  the  remains  of  the  machines, 
and  Bickley  asked  her  what  they  were. 

"  Carriages  in  which  once  we  travelled  through  the 
skies,  until  we  found  a  better  way,  and  that  the  unin- 
structed  used  till  the  end,"  she  answered  carelessly,  leav- 
ing me  wondering  what  on  earth  she  meant. 

We  came  to  the  statue  and  the  sepulchre  beneath  with- 
out trouble,  for  the  glint  of  her  hair,  and  I  may  add  of 
Tommy's  back,  were  quite  sufficient  to  guide  us  through 
the  gloom.  The  crystal  coffins  were  still  there,  for  Bastin 


The  Under- world  201 

flashed  his  torch  and  we  saw  them,  but  the  boxes  of 
radium  had  gone. 

"  Let  that  light  die,"  she  said  to  Bastin.  "  Humphrey, 
give  me  your  right  hand  and  give  your  left  to  Bickley. 
Let  Bastin  cling  to  him  and  fear  nothing." 

We  passed  to  the  end  of  the  tomb  and  stood  against 
what  appeared  to  be  a  rock  wall,  all  close  together,  as 
she  directed. 

"  Fear  nothing,"  she  said  again,  but  next  second  I  was 
never  more  full  of  fear  in  my  life,  for  we  were  whirling 
downwards  at  a  speed  that  would  have  made  an  Ameri- 
can elevator  attendant  turn  pale. 

"  Don't  choke  me,"  I  heard  Bickley  say  to  Bastin,  and 
the  latter's  murmured  reply  of: 

"  I  never  could  bear  these  moving  staircases  and  tube- 
lifts.  They  always  make  me  feel  sick." 

I  admit  that  for  my  part  I  also  felt  rather  sick  and 
clung  tightly  to  the  hand  of  the  Glittering  Lady.  She, 
however,  placed  her  other  hand  upon  my  shoulder,  say- 
ing in  a  low  voice : 

"  Did  I  not  tell  you  to  have  no  fear?  " 

Then  I  felt  comforted,  for  somehow  I  knew  that  it 
was  not  her  desire  to  harm  and  much  less  to  destroy  me. 
Also  Tommy  was  seated  quite  at  his  ease  with  his  head 
resting  against  my  leg,  and  his  absence  of  alarm  was  re- 
assuring. The  only  stoic  of  the  party  was  Bickley.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  he  was  quite  as  frightened  as  we 
were,  but  rather  than  show  it  he  would  have  died. 

"  I  presume  this  machinery  is  pneumatic,"  he  began 
when  suddenly  and  without  shock,  we  arrived  at  the  end 
of  our  journey.  How  far  we  had  fallen  I  am  sure  I  do 
not  know,  but  I  should  judge  from  the  awful  speed  at 
which  we  travelled,  that  it  must  have  been  several  thou- 
sand feet,  probably  four  or  five. 


202  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Everything  seems  steady  now,"  remarked  Bastin, 
"so  I  suppose  this  luggage  lift  has  stopped.  The  odd 
thing  is  that  I  can't  see  anything  of  it.  There  ought  to 
be  a  shaft,  but  we  seem  to  be  standing  on  a  level  floor." 

"  The  odd  thing  is,"  said  Bickley,  "  that  we  can  see  at 
all.  Where  the  devil  does  the  light  come  from  thousands 
of  feet  underground  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Bastin,  "  unless  there  is 
natural  gas  here,  as  I  am  told  there  is  at  a  town  called 
Medicine  Hat  in  Canada." 

"  Natural  gas  be  blowed,"  said  Bickley.  "  It  is  more 
like  moonlight  magnified  ten  times." 

So  it  was.  The  whole  place  was  filled  with  a  soft 
radiance,  equal  to  that  of  the  sun  at  noon,  but  gentler 
and  without  heat. 

"  Where  does  it  come  from  ?  "  I  whispered  to  Yva. 

"  Oh !  "  she  replied,  as  I  thought  evasively.  "  It  is  the 
light  of  the  Under-world  which  we  know  how  to  use. 
The  earth  is  full  of  light,  which  is  not  wonderful,  is  it, 
seeing  that  its  heart  is  fire?  Now  look  about  you." 

I  looked  and  leant  on  her  harder  than  ever,  since 
amazement  made  me  weak.  We  were  in  some  vast  place 
whereof  the  roof  seemed  almost  as  far  off  as  the  sky  at 
night.  At  least  all  that  I  could  make  out  was  a  dim  and 
distant  arch  which  might  have  been  one  of  cloud.  For 
the  rest,  in  every  direction  stretched  vastness,  illuminated 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach  by  the  soft  light  of  which  I 
have  spoken,  that  is,  probably  for  several  miles.  But  this 
vastness  was  not  empty.  On  the  contrary  it  was  occu- 
pied by  a  great  city.  There  were  streets  much  wider 
than  Piccadilly,  all  bordered  by  houses,  though  these,  I 
observed,  were  roofless,  very  fine  houses,  some  of  them, 
built  of  white  stone  or  marble.  There  were  roadways 
and  pavements  worn  by  the  passage  of  feet.  There, 


The  Under- world  203 

farther  on,  were  market-places  or  public  squares,  and 
there,  lastly,  was  a  huge  central  enclosure  one  or  two 
hundred  acres  in  extent,  which  was  filled  with  majestic 
buildings  that  looked  like  palaces,  or  town-halls;  and,  in 
the  midst  of  them  all,  a  vast  temple  with  courts  and  a 
central  dome.  For  here,  notwithstanding  the  lack  of 
necessity,  its  builders  seemed  to  have  adhered  to  the 
Over-world  tradition,  and  had  roofed  their  fane. 

And  now  came  the  terror.  All  of  this  enormous  city 
was  dead.  Had  it  stood  upon  the  moon  it  could  not  have 
been  more  dead.  None  paced  its  streets;  none  looked 
from  its  window-places.  None  trafficked  in  its  markets, 
none  worshipped  in  its  temple.  Swept,  garnished,  lighted, 
practically  untouched  by  the  hand  of  Time,  here  where 
no  rains  fell  and  no  winds  blew,  it  was  yet  a  howling 
wilderness.  For  what  wilderness  is  there  to  equal  that 
which  once  has  been  the  busy  haunt  of  men?  Let  those 
who  have  stood  among  the  buried  cities  of  Central  Asia, 
or  of  Anarajapura  in  Ceylon,  or  even  amid  the  ruins  of 
Salamis  on  the  coast  of  Cyprus,  answer  the  question. 
But  here  was  something  infinitely  more  awful.  A  huge 
human  haunt  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  utterly  devoid 
of  human  beings,  and  yet  as  perfect  as  on  the  day  when 
these  ceased  to  be. 

"  I  do  not  care  for  underground  localities,"  remarked 
Bastin,  his  gruff  voice  echoing  strangely  in  that  terrible 
silence,  "  but  it  does  seem  a  pity  that  all  these  fine  build- 
ings should  be  wasted.  I  suppose  their  inhabitants  left 
them  in  search  of  fresh  air." 

"  Why  did  they  leave  them?  "  I  asked  of  Yva. 

"  Because  death  took  them,"  she  answered  solemnly. 
"  Even  those  who  live  a  thousand  years  die  at  last,  and 
if  they  have  no  children,  with  them  dies  the  race." 

"  Then  were  you  the  last  of  your  people?  "  I  asked. 


204  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Inquire  of  my  father,"  she  replied,  and  led  the  way 
through  the  massive  arch  of  a  great  building. 

It  led  into  a  walled  courtyard  in  the  centre  of  which 
was  a  plain  cupola  of  marble  with  a  gate  of  some  pale 
metal  that  looked  like  platinum  mixed  with  gold.  This 
gate  stood  open.  Within  it  was  the  statue  of  a  woman 
beautifully  executed  in  white  marble  and  set  in  a  niche 
of  some  black  stone.  The  figure  was  draped  as  though 
to  conceal  the  shape,  and  the  face  was  stern  and  majestic 
rather  than  beautiful.  The  eyes  of  the  statue  were  cun- 
ningly made  of  some  enamel  which  gave  them  a  strange 
and  lifelike  appearance.  They  stared  upwards  as  though 
looking  away  from  the  earth  and  its  concerns.  The  arms 
were  outstretched.  In  the  right  hand  was  a  cup  of  black 
marble,  in  the  left  a  similar  cup  of  white  marble.  From 
each  of  these  cups  trickled  a  thin  stream  of  sparkling 
water,  which  two  streams  met  and  mingled  at  a  distance 
of  about  three  feet  beneath  the  cups.  Then  they  fell  into 
a  metal  basin  which,  although  it  must  have  been  quite  a 
foot  thick,  was  cut  right  through  by  their  constant  im- 
pact, and  apparently  vanished  down  some  pipe  beneath. 
Out  of  this  metal  basin  Tommy,  who  gambolled  into  the 
place  ahead  of  us,  began  to  drink  in  a  greedy  and 
demonstrative  fashion. 

"  The  Life-water?  "  I  said,  looking  at  our  guide. 

She  nodded  and  asked  in  her  turn : 

"  What  is  the  statue  and  what  does  it  signify,  Hum- 
phrey?" 

I  hesitated,  but  Bastin  answered: 

"  Just  a  rather  ugly  woman  who  hid  up  her  figure  be- 
cause it  was  bad.  Probably  she  was  a  relation  of  the 
artist  who  wished  to  have  her  likeness  done  and  sat  for 
nothing." 

"  The  goddess  of  Health,"  suggested  Bickley.     "  Her 


The  Under-world  205 

proportions  are  perfect;  a  robust,  a  thoroughly  normal 
woman." 

"  Now,  Humphrey,"  said  Yva. 

I  stared  at  the  work  and  had  not  an  idea.  Then  it 
flashed  on  me  with  such  suddenness  and  certainty  that  I 
am  convinced  the  answer  to  the  riddle  was  passed  to  me 
from  her  and  did  not  originate  in  my  own  mind. 

"  It  seems  quite  easy,"  I  said  in  a  superior  tone.  "  The 
figure  symbolises  Life  and  is  draped  because  we  only  see 
the  face  of  Life,  the  rest  is  hidden.  The  arms  are  bare 
because  Life  is  real  and  active.  One  cup  is  black  and  one 
is  white  because  Life  brings  both  good  and  evil  gifts; 
that  is  why  the  streams  mingle,  to  be  lost  beneath  in  the 
darkness  of  death.  The  features  are  stern  and  even 
terrifying  rather  than  lovely,  because  such  is  the  aspect 
of  Life.  The  eyes  look  upward  and  far  away  from  pres- 
ent things,  because  the  real  life  is  not  here." 

"  Of  course  one  may  say  anything,"  said  Bastin,  "  but 
I  don't  understand  all  that." 

"  Imagination  goes  a  long  way,"  broke  in  Bickley, 
who  was  vexed  that  he  had  not  thought  of  this  inter- 
pretation himself.  But  Yva  said: 

"  I  begin  to  think  that  you  are  quite  clever,  Hum- 
phrey. I  wonder  whence  the  truth  came  to  you,  for 
such  is  the  meaning  of  the  figure  and  the  cups.  Had  I 
told  it  to  you  myself,  it  could  not  have  been  better  said," 
and  she  glanced  at  me  out  of  the  corners  of  her  eyes. 
"  Now,  Strangers,  will  you  drink  ?  Once  that  gate  was 
guarded,  and  only  at  a  great  price  or  as  a  great  reward 
were  certain  of  the  Highest  Blood  given  the  freedom  of 
this  fountain  which  might  touch  no  common  lips.  In- 
deed it  was  one  of  the  causes  of  our  last  war,  for  all  the 
world  which  was,  desired  this  water  which  now  is  lapped 
by  a  stranger's  hound." 


206  When  the  World  Shook 

"  I  suppose  there  is  nothing  medicinal  in  it  ?  "  said 
Bastin.  "  Once  when  I  was  very  thirsty,  I  made  a 
mistake  and  drank  three  tumblers  of  something  of  the 
sort  in  the  dark,  thinking  that  it  was  Apollinaris,  and 
I  don't  want  to  do  it  again." 

"Just  the  sort  of  thing  you  would  do,"  said  Bickley. 
"  But,  Lady  Yva,  what  are  the  properties  of  this 
water?" 

"  It  is  very  health-giving,"  she  answered,  "  and  if 
drunk  continually,  not  less  than  once  each  thirty  days, 
it  wards  off  sickness,  lessens  hunger  and  postpones 
death  for  many,  many  years.  That  is  why  those  of  the 
High  Blood  endured  so  long  and  became  the  rulers  of 
the  world,  and  that,  as  I  have  said,  is  the  greatest  of  the 
reasons  why  the  peoples  who  dwelt  in  the  ancient  outer 
countries  and  never  wished  to  die,  made  war  upon  them, 
to  win  this  secret  fountain.  Have  no  fear,  O  Bastin, 
for  see,  I  will  pledge  you  in  this  water." 

Then  she  lifted  a  strange-looking,  shallow,  metal  cup 
whereof  the  handles  were  formed  of  twisted  serpents, 
that  lay  in  the  basin,  filled  it  from  the  trickling  stream, 
bowed  to  us  and  drank.  But  as  she  drank  I  noted  with 
a  thrill  of  joy  that  her  eyes  were  fixed  on  mine  as  though 
it  were  me  she  pledged  and  me  alone.  Again  she  filled 
the  cup  with  the  sparkling  water,  for  it  did  sparkle,  like 
that  French  liqueur  in  which  are  mingled  little  flakes  of 
gold,  and  handed  it  to  me. 

I  bowed  to  her  and  drank.  I  suppose  the  fluid  was 
water,  but  to  me  it  tasted  more  like  strong  champagne, 
dashed  with  Chateau  Yquem.  It  was  delicious.  More, 
its  effects  were  distinctly  peculiar.  Something  quick 
and  subtle  ran  through  my  veins;  something  that  for 
a  few  moments  seemed  to  burn  away  the  obscureness 
which  blurs  our  thought.  I  began  to  understand  several 


The  Under-world  207 

problems  that  had  puzzled  me,  and  then  lost  their 
explanations  in  the  midst  of  light,  inner  light,  I  mean. 
Moreover,  of  a  sudden  it  seemed  to  me  as  though  a 
window  had  been  opened  in  the  heart  of  that  Glittering 
Lady  who  stood  beside  me.  At  least  I  knew  that  it  was 
full  of  wonderful  knowledge,  wonderful  memories  and 
wonderful  hopes,  and  that  in  the  latter  two  of  these  I 
had  some  part ;  what  part  I  could  not  tell.  Also  I  knew 
that  my  heart  was  open  to  her  and  that  she  saw  in  it 
something  which  caused  her  to  marvel  and  to  sigh. 

In  a  few  seconds,  thirty  perhaps,  all  this  was  gone. 
Nothing  remained  except  that  I  felt  extremely  strong 
and  well,  happier,  too,  than  I  had  been  for  years. 
Mutely  I  asked  her  for  more  of  the  water,  but  she  shook 
her  head  and,  taking  the  cup  from  me,  filled  it  again 
and  gave  it  to  Bickley,  who  drank.  He  flushed,  seemed 
to  lose  the  self-control  which  was  his  very  strong  char- 
acteristic, and  said  in  a  rather  thick  voice : 

"  Curious !  but  I  do  not  think  at  this  moment  there 
is  any  operation  that  has  ever  been  attempted  which  I 
could  not  tackle  single-handed  and  with  success." 

Then  he  was  silent,  and  Bastin's  turn  came.  He 
drank  rather  noisily,  after  his  fashion,  and  began: 

"  My  dear  young  lady,  I  think  the  time  has  come 

when  I  should  expound  to  you "  Here  he  broke  off 

and  commenced  singing  very  badly,  for  his  voice  was 
somewhat  raucous: 

From  Greenland's  icy  mountains, 

From  India's  coral  strand, 
Where  Afric's  sunny   fountains 

Roll  down  their  golden  sand. 

Ceasing  from  melody,  he  added : 

"  I  determined  that  I  would  drink  nothing  intoxicat- 


208  When  the  World  Shook 

ing  while  I  was  on  this  island  that  I  might  be  a  shining 
light  in  a  dark  place,  and  now  I  fear  that  quite  un- 
wittingly I  have  broken  what  I  look  upon  as  a  promise." 

Then  he,  too,  grew  silent. 

"  Come,"  said  Yva,  "  my  father,  the  Lord  Oro, 
awaits  you." 

We  crossed  the  court  of  the  Water  of  Life  and 
mounted  steps  that  led  to  a  wide  and  impressive  portico, 
Tommy  frisking  ahead  of  us  in  a  most  excited  way  for  a 
dog  of  his  experience.  Evidently  the  water  had  pro- 
duced its  effect  upon  him  as  well  as  upon  his  masters. 
This  portico  was  in  a  solemn  style  of  architecture  which 
I  cannot  describe,  because  it  differed  from  any  other 
that  I  know.  It  was  not  Egyptian  and  not  Greek, 
although  its  solidity  reminded  me  of  the  former,  and  the 
beauty  and  grace  of  some  of  the  columns,  of  the  latter. 
The  profuseness  and  rather  grotesque  character  of  the 
carvings  suggested  the  ruins  of  Mexico  and  Yucatan, 
and  the  enormous  size  of  the  blocks  of  stone,  those  of 
Peru  and  Baalbec.  In  short,  all  the  known  forms  of 
ancient  architecture  might  have  found  their  inspiration 
here,  and  the  general  effect  was  tremendous. 

"  The  palace  of  the  King,"  said  Yva,  "  whereof  we 
approach  the  great  hall." 

We  entered  through  mighty  metal  doors,  one  of 
which  stood  ajar,  into  a  vestibule  which  from  certain 
indications  I  gathered  had  once  been  a  guard,  or  per- 
haps an  assembly-room.  It  was  about  forty  feet  deep 
by  a  hundred  wide.  Thence  she  led  us  through  a 
smaller  door  into  the  hall  itself.  It  was  a  vast  place 
without  columns,  for  there  was  no  roof  to  support. 
The  walls  of  marble  or  limestone  were  sculptured  like 
those  of  Egyptian  temples,  apparently  with  battle 
scenes,  though  of  this  I  am  not  sure  for  I  did  not  go 


The  Under-world  209 

near  to  them.  Except  for  a  broad  avenue  along  the 
middle,  up  which  we  walked,  the  area  was  filled  with 
marble  benches  that  would,  I  presume,  have  accom- 
modated several  thousand  people.  But  they  were 
empty — empty,  and  oh!  the  loneliness  of  it  all. 

Far  away  at  the  head  of  the  hall  was  a  dais  enclosed, 
and,  as  it  were,  roofed  in  by  a  towering  structure  that 
mingled  grace  and  majesty  to  a  wonderful  degree.  It 
was  modelled  on  the  pattern  of  a  huge  shell.  The  base 
of  the  shell  was  the  platform;  behind  were  the  ribs,  and 
above,  the  overhanging  lip  of  the  shell.  On  this  plat- 
form was  a  throne  of  silvery  metal.  It  was  supported 
on  the  arched  coils  of  snakes,  whereof  the  tails  formed 
the  back  and  the  heads  the  arms  of  the  throne. 

On  this  throne,  arrayed  in  gorgeous  robes,  sat  the 
Lord  Oro,  his  white  beard  flowing  over  them,  and  a 
jewelled  cap  upon  his  head.  In  front  of  him  was  a  low 
table  on  which  lay  graven  sheets  of  metal,  and  among 
them  a  large  ball  of  crystal. 

There  he  sat,  solemn  and  silent  in  the  midst  of  this 
awful  solitude,  looking  in  very  truth  like  a  god,  as  we 
conceive  such  a  being  to  appear.  Small  as  he  was  in  that 
huge  expanse  of  buildings,  he  seemed  yet  to  dominate 
it,  in  a  sense  to  fill  the  emptiness  which  was  accentuated 
by  his  presence.  I  know  that  the  sight  of  him  filled  me 
with  true  fear  which  it  had  never  done  in  the  light  of 
day,  not  even  when  he  arose  from  his  crystal  coffin. 
Now  for  the  first  time  I  felt  as  though  I  were  really  in 
the  presence  of  a  Being  Supernatural.  Doubtless  the 
surroundings  heightened  this  impression.  What  were 
these  mighty  edifices  in  the  bowels  of  the  world? 
When  came  this  wondrous,  all-pervading  and  trans- 
lucent light,  whereof  we  could  see  no  origin?  Whither 
had  vanished  those  who  had  reared  and  inhabited  them  ? 


210  When  the  World  Shook 

How  did  it  happen  that  of  them  all,  this  man,  if  tie 
were  a  man;  and  this  lovely  woman  at  my  side,  who,  if 
I  might  trust  my  senses  and  instincts,  was  certainly  a 
woman,  alone  survived  of  their  departed  multitudes? 

The  thing  was  crushing.  I  looked  at  Bickley  for  en- 
couragement, but  got  none,  for  he  only  shook  his  head. 
Even  Bastin,  now  that  the  first  effects  of  the  Life-water 
had  departed,  seemed  overwhelmed,  and  muttered  some- 
thing about  the  halls  of  Hades. 

Only  the  little  dog  Tommy  remained  quite  cheerful. 
He  trotted  down  the  hall,  jumped  on  to  the  dais  and  sat 
himself  comfortably  at  the  feet  of  its  occupant. 

"  I  greet  you,"  Oro  said  in  his  slow,  resonant  voice. 
"  Daughter,  lead  these  strangers  to  me ;  I  would  speak 
with  them." 


CHAPTER  XV 

ORO   IN    HIS   HOUSE 

WE  climbed  on  to  the  dais  by  some  marble  steps,  and 
sat  ourselves  down  in  four  curious  chairs  of  metal  that 
were  more  or  less  copied  from  that  which  served  Oro  as 
a  throne;  at  least  the  arms  ended  in  graven  heads  of 
snakes.  These  chairs  were  so  comfortable  that  I  con- 
cluded the  seats  were  fixed  on  springs,  also  we  noticed 
that  they  were  beautifully  polished. 

"  I  wonder  how  they  keep  everything  so  clean,"  said 
Bastin  as  we  mounted  the  dais.  "  In  this  big  place  it 
must  take  a  lot  of  housemaids,  though  I  don't  see  any. 
But  perhaps  there  is  no  dust  here." 

I  shrugged  my  shoulders  while  we  seated  ourselves, 
the  Lady  Yva  and  I  on  Oro's  right,  Bickley  and  Bastin 
on  his  left,  as  he  indicated  by  pointing  with  his  finger. 

"What  say  you  of  this  city?"  Oro  asked  after  a 
while  of  me. 

"  We  do  not  know  what  to  say,"  I  replied.  "  It 
amazes  us.  In  our  world  there  is  nothing  like  to  it." 

"  Perchance  there  will  be  in  the  future  when  the 
nations  grow  more  skilled  in  the  arts  of  war,"  said  Oro 
darkly. 

"  Be  pleased,  Lord  Oro,"  I  went  on,  "  if  it  is  your 
will,  to  tell  us  why  the  people  who  built  this  place  chose 
to  live  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  instead  of  upon  its 
surface." 

"They  did  not  choose;  it  was  forced  upon  them," 

211 


212  When  the  World  Shook 

was  the  answer.  "  This  is  a  city  of  refuge  that  they 
occupied  in  time  of  war,  not  because  they  hated  the  sun. 
In  time  of  peace  and  before  the  Barbarians  dared  to 
attack  them,  they  dwelt  in  the  city  Pani  which  signifies 
Above.  You  may  have  noted  some  of  its  remaining 
ruins  on  the  mount  and  throughout  the  island.  The  rest 
of  them  are  now  beneath  the  sea.  But  when  trouble 
came  and  the  foe  rained  fire  on  them  from  the  air,  they 
retreated  to  this  town,  Nyo,  which  signifies  Beneath." 

"And  then?" 

"  And  then  they  died.  The  Water  of  Life  may  pro- 
long life,  but  it  cannot  make  women  bear  children. 
That  they  will  only  do  beneath  the  blue  of  heaven,  not 
deep  in  the  belly  of  the  world  where  Nature  never  de- 
signed that  they  should  dwell.  How  would  the  voices  of 
children  sound  in  such  halls  as  these?  Tell  me,  you, 
Bickley,  who  are  a  physician." 

"  I  cannot.  I  cannot  imagine  children  in  such  a 
place,  and  if  born  here  they  would  die,"  said  Bickley. 

Oro  nodded. 

"They  did  die,  and  if  they  went  above  to  Pani  they 
were  murdered.  So  soon  the  habit  of  birth  was  lost  and 
the  Sons  of  Wisdom  perished  one  by  one.  Yes,  they 
who  ruled  the  world  and  by  tens  of  thousands  of  years 
of  toil  had  gathered  into  their  bosoms  all  the  secrets  of 
the  world,  perished,  till  only  a  few,  and  among  them  I 
and  this  daughter  of  mine,  were  left." 

"And  then?" 

"  Then,  Humphrey,  having  power  so  to  do,  I  did 
what  long  I  had  threatened,  and  unchained  the  forces 
that  work  at  the  world's  heart,  and  destroyed  them  who 
were  my  enemies  and  evil,  so  that  they  perished  by 
millions,  and  with  them  all  their  works.  Afterwards  we 
slept,  leaving  the  others,  our  subjects  who  had  not  the 


Oro  in  His  House  213 

secret  of  this  Sleep,  to  die,  as  doubtless  they  did  in  the 
course  of  Nature  or  by  the  hand  of  the  foe.  The  rest 
you  know." 

"  Can  such  a  thing  happen  again  ? "  asked  Bickley 
in  a  voice  that  did  not  hide  his  disbelief. 

"  Why  do  you  question  me,  Bickley,  you  who  be- 
lieve nothing  of  what  I  tell  you,  and  therefore  make 
wrath?  Still  I  will  say  this,  that  what  I  caused  to  hap- 
pen I  can  cause  once  more — only  once,  I  think — as 
perchance  you  shall  learn  before  all  is  done.  Now, 
since  you  do  not  believe,  I  will  tell  you  no  "more  of  our 
mysteries,  no,  not  whence  this  light  comes  nor  what  are 
the  properties  of  the  Water  of  Life,  both  of  which  you 
long  to  know,  nor  how  to  preserve  the  vital  spark  of 
Being  in  the  grave  of  dreamless  sleep,  like  a  live  jewel 
in  a  casket  of  dead  stone,  nor  aught  else.  As  to  these 
matters,  Daughter,  I  bid  you  also  to  be  silent,  since 
Bickley  mocks  at  us.  Yes,  with  all  this  around  him, 
he  who  saw  us  rise  from  the  coffins,  still  mocks  at  us  in 
his  heart.  Therefore  let  him,  this  little  man  of  a  little 
day,  when  his  few  years  are  done  go  to  the  tomb  in 
ignorance,  and  his  companions  with  him,  they  who 
might  have  been  as  wise  as  I  am." 

Thus  Oro  spoke  in  a  voice  of  icy  rage,  his  deep 
eyes  glowing  like  coals.  Hearing  him  I  cursed  Bickley 
in  my  heart  for  I  was  sure  that  once  spoken,  his  decree 
was  like  to  that  of  the  Medes  and  Persians  and  could  not 
be  altered.  Bickley,  however,  was  not  in  the  least  dis- 
mayed. Indeed  he  argued  the  point.  He  told  Oro 
straight  out  that  he  would  not  believe  in  the  impossible 
until  it  had  been  shown  to  him  to  be  possible,  and  that 
the  law  of  Nature  never  had  been  and  never  could  be 
violated.  It  was  no  answer,  he  said,  to  show  him 
wonders  without  explaining  their  cause,  since  all  that 


214  When  the  World  Shook 

he  seemed  to  see  might  be  but  mental  illusions  produced 
he  knew  not  how. 

Oro  listened  patiently,  then  answered : 

"  Good.  So  be  it,  they  are  illusions.  I  am  an 
illusion;  those  savages  who  died  upon  the  rock  will 
tell  you  so.  This  fair  woman  before  you  is  an  illusion; 
Humphrey,  I  am  sure,  knows  it  as  you  will  also  before 
you  have  done  with  her.  These  halls  are  illusions. 
Live  on  in  your  illusions,  O  little  man  of  science,  who 
because  you  see  the  face  of  things,  think  that  you  know 
the  body  and  the  heart,  and  can  read  the  soul  at  work 
within.  You  are  a  worthy  child  of  tens  of  thousands 
of  your  breed  who  were  before  you  and  are  now 
forgotten." 

Bickley  looked  up  to  answer,  then  changed  his  mind 
and  was  silent,  thinking  further  argument  dangerous, 
and  Oro  went  on : 

"  Now  I  differ  from  you,  Bickley,  in  this  way.  I  who 
have  more  wisdom  in  my  finger-point  than  you  with  all 
the  physicians  of  your  world  added  to  you,  have  in  your 
brains  and  bodies,  yet  desire  to  learn  from  those  who 
can  give  me  knowledge.  I  understand  from  your 
words  to  my  daughter  that  you,  Bastin,  teach  a  faith 
that  is  new  to  me,  and  that  this  faith  tells  of  life  eternal 
for  the  children  of  earth.  Is  it  so?  " 

"  It  is,"  said  Bastin  eagerly.    "  I  will  set  out " 

Oro  cut  him  short  with  a  wave  of  the  hand. 

".Not  now  in  the  presence  of  Bickley  who  doubtless 
disbelieves  your  faith,  as  he  does  all  else,  holding  it, 
with  justice  or  without,  to  be  but  another  illusion.  Yet 
you  shall  teach  me  and  on  it  I  will  form  my  own 
judgment." 

"I  shall  be  delighted,"  said  Bastin.  Then  a  doubt 
struck  him,  and  he  added :  "  But  why  do  you  wish  to 


Oro  in  His  House  215 

learn?  Not  that  you  may  make  a  mock  of  my  religion, 
is  it?" 

"  I  mock  at  no  man's  belief,  because  I  think  that 
what  men  believe  is  true — for  them.  I  will  tell  you  why 
I  wish  to  hear  of  yours,  since  I  never  hide  the  truth.  I 
who  am  so  wise  and  old,  yet  must  die;  though  that  time 
may  be  far  away,  still  I  must  die,  for  such  is  the  lot  of 
man  born  of  woman.  And  I  do  not  desire  to  die. 
Therefore  I  shall  rejoice  to  learn  of  any  faith  that  prom- 
ises to  the  children  of  earth  a  life  eternal  beyond  the 
earth.  To-morrow  you  shall  begin  to  teach, me.  Now 
leave  me,  Strangers,  for  I  have  much  to  do,"  and  he 
waved  his  hand  towards  the  table. 

We  rose  and  bowed,  wondering  what  he  could  have 
to  do  down  in  this  luminous  hole,  he  who  had  been  for 
so  many  thousands  of  years  out  of  touch  with  the  world. 
It  occurred  to  me,  however,  that  during  this  long  period 
he  might  have  got  in  touch  with  other  worlds,  indeed 
he  looked  like  it. 

"  Wait,"  he  said,  "  I  have  something  to  tell  you.  I 
have  been  studying  this  book  of  writings,  or  world 
pictures,"  and  he  pointed  to  my  atlas  which,  as  I  now 
observed  for  the  first  time,  was  also  lying  upon  the  table. 
"  It  interests  me  much.  Your  country  is  small,  very 
small.  When  I  caused  it  to  be  raised  up  I  think  that  it 
was  larger,  but  since  then  that  seas  have  flowed  in." 

Here  Bickley  groaned  aloud. 

"  This  one  is  much  greater,"  went  on  Oro,  casting  a 
glance  at  Bickley  that  must  have  penetrated  him  like  a 
searchlight.  Then  he  opened  the  map  of  Europe  and 
with  his  finger  indicated  Germany  and  Austria-Hungary. 
"  I  know  nothing  of  the  peoples  of  these  lands,"  he  added, 
"  but  as  you  belong  to  one  of  them  and  are  my  guests,  I 
trust  that  yours  may  succeed  in  the  war." 


216  When  the  World  Shook 

"  What  war  ?  "  we  asked  with  one  voice. 

"  Since  Bickley  is  so  clever,  surely  he  should  know 
better  than  an  illusion  such  as  I.  All  I  can  tell  you  is 
that  I  have  learned  that  there  is  war  between  this 
country  and  that,"  and  he  pointed  to  Great  Britain  and 
to  Germany  upon  the  map ;  "  also  between  others." 

"  It  is  quite  possible,"  I  said,  remembering  many 
things.  "  But  how  do  you  know  ?  " 

"If  I  told  you,  Humphrey,  Bickley  would  not 
believe,  so  I  will  not  tell.  Perhaps  I  saw  it  in  that 
crystal,  as  did  the  necromancers  of  the  early  world. 
Or  perhaps  the  crystal  serves  some  different  purpose 
and  I  saw  it  otherwise — with  my  soul.  At  least  what  I 
say  is  true." 

"  Then  who  will  win  ?  "  asked  Bastin. 

"  I  cannot  read  the  future,  Preacher.  If  I  could, 
should  I  ask  you  to  expound  to  me  your  religion  which 
probably  is  of  no  more  worth  than  a  score  of  others  I 
have  studied,  just  because  it  tells  of  the  future?  If  I 
could  read  the  future  I  should  be  a  god  instead  of  only 
an  earth-lord." 

"Your  daughter  called  you  a  god  and  you  said  that 
you  knew  we  were  coming  to  wake  you  up,  which  is 
reading  the  future,"  answered  Bastin. 

"  Every  father  is  a  god  to  his  daughter,  or  should 
be;  also  in  my  day  millions  named  me  a  god  because  I 
saw  further  and  struck  harder  than  they  could.  As  for 
the  rest,  it  came  to  me  in  a  vision.  Oh!  Bickley,  if  you 
were  wiser  than  you  think  you  are,  you  would  know  that 
all  things  to  come  are  born  elsewhere  and  travel  hither 
like  the  light  from  stars.  Sometimes  they  come  faster 
before  their  day  into  a  single  mind,  and  that  is  what 
men  call  prophecy.  But  this  is  a  gift  which  cannot  be 


Oro  in  His  House  217 

commanded,  even  by  me.  Also  I  did  not  know  that  you 
would  come.  I  knew  only  that  we  should  awaken  and 
by  the  help  of  men,  for  if  none  had  been  present  at  that 
destined  hour  we  must  have  died  for  lack  of  warmth  and 
sustenance." 

"  I  deny  your  hypothesis  in  toto,"  exclaimed  Bickley, 
but  nobody  paid  any  attention  to  him. 

"  My  father,"  said  Yva,  rising  and  bowing  before 
him  with  her  swan-like  grace,  "  I  have  noted  your  com- 
mands. But  do  you  permit  that  I  show  the  temple  to 
these  strangers,  also  something  of  our  past?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  he  said.  "  It  will  save  much  talk  in  a 
savage  tongue  that  is  difficult  to  me.  But  bring  them 
here  no  more  without  my  command,  save  Bastin  only. 
When  the  sun  is  four  hours  high  in  the  upper  world, 
let  him  come  to-morrow  to  teach  me,  and  afterwards  if 
so  I  desire.  Or  if  he  wills,  he  can  sleep  here." 

"  I  think  I  would  rather  not,"  said  Bastin  hurriedly. 
"  I  make  no  pretence  to  being  particular,  but  this  place 
does  not  appeal  to  me  as  a  bedroom.  There  are  degrees 
in  the  pleasures  of  solitude  and,  in  short,  I  will  not 
disturb  your  privacy  at  night." 

Oro  waved  his  hand  and  we  departed  down  that  aw- 
ful and  most  dreary  hall. 

"  I  hope  you  will  spend  a  pleasant  time  here,  Bastin," 
I  said,  looking  back  from  the  doorway  at  its  cold, 
illuminated  vastness. 

"  I  don't  expect  to,"  he  answered,  "  but  duty  is  duty, 
and  if  I  can  drag  that  old  sinner  back  from  the  pit  that 
awaits  him,  it  will  be  worth  doing.  Only  I  have  my 
doubts  about  him.  To  me  he  seems  to  bear  a  strong 
family  resemblance  to  Beelzebub,  and  he's  a  bad  com- 
panion week  in  and  week  out." 

We  went  through  the  portico,  Yva  leading  us,  and 


218  When  the  World  Shook 

passed  the  fountain  of  Life-water,  of  which  she 
cautioned  us  to  drink  no  more  at  present,  and  to  pre- 
vent him  from  doing  so,  dragged  Tommy  past  it  by 
his  collar.  Bickley,  however,  lingered  under  pretence  of 
making  a  further  examination  of  the  statue.  As  I  had 
seen  him  emptying  into  his  pocket  the  contents  of  a 
corked  bottle  of  quinine  tabloids  which  he  always 
carried  with  him,  I  guessed  very  well  that  his  object 
was  to  procure  a  sample  of  this  water  for  future 
analysis.  Of  course  I  said  nothing,  and  Yva  and 
Bastin  took  no  note  of  what  he  was  doing. 

When  we  were  clear  of  the  palace,  of  which  we  had 
only  seen  one  hall,  we  walked  across  an  open  space 
made  unutterably  dreary  by  the  absence  of  any  vegeta- 
tion or  other  sign  of  life,  towards  a  huge  building  of 
glorious  proportions  that  was  constructed  of  black 
stone  or  marble.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  give  any 
idea  of  the  frightful  solemnity  of  this  doomed  edifice,  for 
as  I  think  I  have  said,  it  alone  had  a  roof,  standing1 
there  in  the  midst  of  that  brilliant,  unvarying  and  most 
unnatural  illumination  which  came  from  nowhere  and 
yet  was  everywhere.  Thus,  when  one  lifted  a  foot, 
there  it  was  between  the  sole  of  the  boot  and  the  floor, 
or  to  express  it  better,  the  boot  threw  no  shadow.  I 
think  this  absence  of  shadows  was  perhaps  the  most 
terrifying  circumstance  connected  with  that  universal 
and  pervading  light.  Through  it  we  walked  on  to  the 
temple.  We  passed  three  courts,  pillared  all  of  them, 
and  came  to  the  building  which  was  larger  than  St. 
Paul's  in  London.  We  entered  through  huge  doors 
which  still  stood  open,  and  presently  found  ourselves 
beneath  the  towering  dome.  There  were  no  windows, 
why  should  there  be  in  a  place  that  was  full  of  light? 
There  was  no  ornamentation,  there  was  nothing  except 


Oro  in  His  House  219 

black  walls.  And  yet  the  general  effect  was  magnificent 
in  its  majestic  grace. 

"  In  this  place,"  said  Yva,  and  her  sweet  voice  went 
whispering  round  the  walls  and  the  arching  dome, 
"  were  buried  the  Kings  of  the  Sons  of  Wisdom.  They 
lie  beneath,  each  in  his  sepulchre.  Its  entrance  is 
yonder,"  and  she  pointed  to  what  seemed  to  be  a  chapel 
on  the  right.  "  Would  you  wish  to  see  them  ?  " 

"  Somehow  I  don't  care  to,"  said  Bastin.  "  The 
place  is  dreary  enough  as  it  is  without  the  company  of 
a  lot  of  dead  kings." 

"  I  should  like  to  dissect  one  of  them,  but  I  suppose 
that  would  not  be  allowed,"  said  Bickley. 

"No,"  she  answered.  "I  think  that  the  Lord  Oro 
would  not  wish  you  to  cut  up  his  forefathers." 

"  When  you  and  he  went  to  sleep,  why  did  you  not 
choose  the  family  vault?"  asked  Bastin. 

"  Would  you  have  found  us  there  ?  "  she  queried  by 
way  of  answer.  Then,  understanding  that  the  invita- 
tion was  refused  by  general  consent,  though  person- 
ally I  should  have  liked  to  accept  it,  and  have  never 
ceased  regretting  that  I  did  not,  she  moved  towards  a 
colossal  object  which  stood  beneath  the  centre  of  the 
dome. 

On  a  stepped  base,  not  very  different  from  that  in 
the  cave  but  much  larger,  sat  a  figure,  draped  in  a 
cloak  on  which  was  graved  a  number  of  stars,  doubt- 
less to  symbolise  the  heavens.  The  fastening  of  the 
cloak  was  shaped  like  the  crescent  moon,  and  the  foot- 
stool on  which  rested  the  figure's  feet  was  fashioned 
to  suggest  the  orb  of  the  sun.  This  was  of  gold  or  some 
such  metal,  the  only  spot  of  brightness  in  all  that 
temple.  It  was  impossible  to  say  whether  the  figure 
were  male  or  female,  for  the  cloak  falling  in  long, 


220  When  the  World  Shook 

straight  folds  hid  its  outlines.  Nor  did  the  head  tell  us, 
for  the  hair  also  was  hidden  beneath  the  mantle  and  the 
face  might  have  been  that  of  either  man  or  woman.  It 
was  terrible  in  its  solemnity  and  calm,  and  its  expres- 
sion was  as  remote  and  mystic  as  that  of  Buddha,  only 
more  stern.  Also  without  doubt  it  was  blind;  it  was 
impossible  to  mistake  the  sightlessness  of  those  staring 
orbs.  Across  the  knees  lay  a  naked  sword  and  beneath 
the  cloak  the  arms  were  hidden.  In  its  complete 
simplicity  the  thing  was  marvellous. 

On  either  side  upon  the  pedestal  knelt  a  figure  of 
the  size  of  life.  One  was  an  old  and  withered  man  with 
death  stamped  upon  his  face;  the  other  was  a  beautiful, 
naked  woman,  her  hands  clasped  in  the  attitude  of 
prayer  and  with  vague  terror  written  on  her  vivid 
features. 

Such  was  this  glorious  group  of  which  the  meaning 
could  not  be  mistaken.  It  was  Fate  throned  upon  the 
sun,  wearing  the  constellations  as  his  garment,  armed 
with  the  sword  of  Destiny  and  worshipped  by  Life  and 
Death.  This  interpretation  I  set  out  to  the  others. 

Yva  knelt  before  the  statue  for  a  little  while,  bowing 
her  head  in  prayer,  and  really  I  felt  inclined  to  follow 
her  example,  though  in  the  end  I  compromised,  as  did 
Bickley,  by  taking  off  my  hat,  which,  like  the  others, 
I  still  wore  from  force  of  habit,  though  in  this  place 
none  were  needed.  Only  Bastin  remained  covered. 

"  Behold  the  god  of  my  people,"  said  Yva.  "  Have 
you  no  reverence  for  it,  O  Bastin  ?  " 

"  Not  much,"  he  answered,  "  except  as  a  work  of  art. 
You  see  I  worship  Fate's  Master.  I  might  add  that 
your  god  doesn't  seem  to  have  done  much  for  you,  Lady 
Yva,  as  out  of  all  your  greatness  there's  nothing  left 
but  two  people  and  a  lot  of  old  walls  and  caves." 


Oro  in  His  House  221 

At  first  she  was  inclined  to  be  angry,  for  I  saw  her 
start.  Then  her  mood  changed,  and  she  said  with  a 
sigh: 

"  Fate's  Master !    Where  does  He  dwell  ?  " 

"  Here  amongst  other  places,"  said  Bastin.  "  I'll 
soon  explain  that  to  you." 

"  I  thank  you,"  she  replied  gravely.  "  But  why 
have  you  not  explained  it  to  Bickley  ?  "  Then  waving 
her  hand  to  show  that  she  wished  for  no  answer,  she 
went  on : 

"  Friends,  would  you  wish  to  learn  something  of  the 
history  of  my  people?  " 

"  Very  much,"  said  the  irrepressible  Bastin,  "  but  I 
would  rather  the  lecture  took  place  in  the  open  air." 

"  That  is  not  possible,"  she  answered.  "  It  must  be 
here  and  now,  or  not  at  all.  Come,  stand  by  me.  Be 
silent  and  do  not  move.  I  am  about  to  set  loose  forces 
that  are  dangerous  if  disturbed." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

VISIONS   OF   THE   PAST 

SHE  led  us  to  the  back  of  the  statue  and  pointed  to  each 
of  us  where  we  should  remain.  Then  she  took  her  place 
at  right  angles  to  us,  as  a  showman  might  do,  and  for 
a  while  stood  immovable.  Watching  her  face,  once 
more  I  saw  it,  and  indeed  all  her  body,  informed  with 
that  strange  air  of  power,  and  noted  that  her  eyes  flashed 
and  that  her  hair  grew  even  more  brilliant  than  was 
common,  as  though  some  abnormal  strength  were  flow- 
ing through  it  and  her.  Presently  she  spoke,  saying: 

"  I  shall  show  you  first  our  people  in  the  day  of  their 
glory.  Look  in  front  of  you." 

We  looked  and  by  degrees  the  vast  space  of  the  apse 
before  us  became  alive  with  forms.  At  first  these  were 
vague  and  shadowy,  not  to  be  separated  or  distin- 
guished. Then  they  became  so  real  that  until  he  was 
reproved  by  a  kick,  Tommy  growled  at  them  and 
threatened  to  break  out  into  one  of  his  peals  of  barking. 

A  wonderful  scene  appeared.  There  was  a  palace 
of  white  marble  and  in  front  of  it  a  great  courtyard  upon 
which  the  sun  beat  vividly.  At  the  foot  of  the  steps 
of  the  palace,  beneath  a  silken  awning,  sat  a  king  en- 
throned, a  crown  upon  his  head  and  wearing  glorious 
robes.  In  his  hand  was  a  jewelled  sceptre.  He  was  a 
noble-looking  man  of  middle  age  and  about  him  were 
gathered  the  glittering  officers  of  his  court.  Fair  women 
fanned  him  and  to  right  and  left,  but  a  little  behind,  sat 

222 


Visions  of  the  Past  223 

other  fair  and  jewelled  women  who,  I  suppose,  were  his 
wives  or  daughters. 

"  One  of  the  Kings  of  the  Children  of  Wisdom  new- 
crowned,  receives  the  homage  of  the  world,"  said  Yva. 

As  she  spoke  there  appeared,  walking  in  front  of 
the  throne  one  by  one,  other  kings,  for  all  were  crowned 
and  bore  sceptres.  At  the  foot  of  the  throne  each  of 
them  kneeled  and  kissed  the  foot  of  him  who  sat  thereon, 
as  he  did  so  laying  down  his  sceptre  which  at  a  sign  he 
lifted  again  and  passed  away.  Of  these  kings  there  must 
have  been  quite  fifty,  men  of  all  colours  and  of  various 
types,  white  men,  black  men,  yellow  men,  red  men. 

Then  came  their  ministers  bearing  gifts,  appar- 
ently of  gold  and  jewels,  which  were  piled  on  trays  in 
front  of  the  throne.  I  remember  noting  an  incident. 
An  old  fellow  with  a  lame  leg  stumbled  and  upset  his 
tray,  so  that  the  contents  rolled  hither  and  thither.  His 
attempts  to  recover  them  were  ludicrous  and  caused  the 
monarch  on  the  throne  to  relax  from  his  dignity  and 
smile.  I  mention  this  to  show  that  what  we  witnessed 
was  no  set  scene  but  apparently  a  living  piece  of  the 
past.  Had  it  been  so  the  absurdity  of  the  bedizened 
old  man  tumbling  down  in  the  midst  of  the  gorgeous 
pageant  would  certainly  have  been  omitted. 

No,  it  must  be  life,  real  life,  something  that  had  hap- 
pened, and  the  same  may  be  said  of  what  followed.  For 
instance,  there  was  what  we  call  a  review.  Infantry 
marched,  some  of  them  armed  with  swords  and  spears, 
though  these  I  took  to  be  an  ornamental  bodyguard, 
and  others  with  tubes  like  savage  blowpipes  of  which  I 
could  not  guess  the  use.  There  were  no  cannon,  but 
carriages  came  by  loaded  with  bags  that  had  spouts  to 
them.  Probably  these  were  charged  with  poisonous 
gases.  There  were  some  cavalry  also,  mounted  on  a 


224  When  the  World  Shook 

different  stamp  of  horse  from  ours,  thicker  set  and  nearer 
the  ground,  but  with  arched  necks  and  fiery  eyes  and,  I 
should  say,  very  strong.  These  again,  I  take  it,  were 
ornamental.  Then  came  other  men  upon  a  long 
machine,  slung  in  pairs  in  armoured  sacks,  out  of  which 
only  their  heads  and  arms  projected.  This  machine, 
which  resembled  an  elongated  bicycle,  went  by  at  a 
tremendous  rate,  though  whence  its  motive  power  came 
did  not  appear.  It  carried  twenty  pairs  of  men,  each 
of  whom  held  in  his  hand  some  small  but  doubtless 
deadly  weapon,  that  in  appearance  resembled  an  orange. 
Other  similar  machines  which  followed  carried  from 
forty  to  a  hundred  pairs  of  men. 

The  marvel  of  the  piece,  however,  were  the  aircraft. 
These  came  by  in  great  numbers.  Sometimes  they  flew 
in  flocks  like  wild  geese,  sometimes  singly,  sometimes 
in  line  and  sometimes  in  ordered  squadrons,  with  out- 
post and  officer  ships  and  an  exact  distance  kept  be- 
tween craft  and  craft.  None  of  them  seemed  to  be 
very  large  or  to  carry  more  than  four  or  five  men,  but 
they  were  extraordinarily  swift  and  as  agile  as  swallows. 
Moreover  they  flew  as  birds  do  by  beating  their  wings, 
but  again  we  could  not  guess  whence  came  their  motive 
power. 

The  review  vanished,  and  next  appeared  a  scene  of 
festivity  in  a  huge,  illuminated  hall.  The  Great  King 
sat  upon  a  dais  and  behind  him  was  that  statue  of  Fate, 
or  one  very  similar  to  it,  beneath  which  we  stood.  Below 
him  in  the  hall  were  the  feasters  seated  at  long  tables, 
clad  in  the  various  costumes  of  their  countries.  He  rose 
and,  turning,  knelt  before  the  statue  of  Fate.  Indeed 
he  prostrated  himself  thrice  in  prayer.  Then  taking  his 
seat  again,  he  lifted  a  cup  of  wine  and  pledged  that  vast 
company.  They  drank  back  to  him  and  prostrated 


Visions  of  the  Past  225 

themselves  before  him  as  he  had  done  before  the  image 
of  Fate.  Only  I  noted  that  certain  men  clad  in  sacer- 
dotal garments  not  at  all  unlike  those  which  are  worn  in 
the  Greek  Church  to-day,  remained  standing. 

Now  all  this  exhibition  of  terrestrial  pomp  faded. 
The  next  scene  was  simple,  that  of  the  death-bed  of  this 
same  king — we  knew  him  by  his  wizened  features.  There 
he  lay,  terribly  old  and  dying.  Physicians,  women, 
courtiers,  all  were  there  watching  the  end.  The  tableau 
vanished  and  in  place  of  it  appeared  that  of  the  youthful 
successor  amidst  cheering  crowds,  with  joy  breaking 
through  the  clouds  of  simulated  grief  upon  his  face.  It 
vanished  also. 

"  Thus  did  great  king  succeed  great  king  for  ages 
upon  ages,"  said  Yva.  "  There  were  eighty  of  them  and 
the  average  of  their  reigns  was  700  years.  They  ruled 
the  earth  as  it  was  in  those  days.  They  gathered  up 
learning,  they  wielded  power,  their  wealth  was  boundless. 
They  nurtured  the  arts,  they  discovered  secrets.  They 
had  intercourse  with  the  stars;  they  were  as  gods.  But 
like  the  gods  they  grew  jealous.  They  and  their  coun- 
cillors became  a  race  apart  who  alone  had  the  secret  of 
long  life.  The  rest  of  the  world  and  the  commonplace 
people  about  them  suffered  and  died.  They  of  the 
Household  of  Wisdom  lived  on  in  pomp  for  generations 
till  the  earth  was  mad  with  envy  of  them. 

"  Fewer  and  fewer  grew  the  divine  race  of  the  Sons  of 
Wisdom  since  children  are  not  given  to  the  aged  and  to 
those  of  an  ancient,  outworn  blood.  Then  the  World 
said :  ?,  ,  ! 

"  '  They  are  great  but  they  are  not  many ;  let  us  make 
an  end  of  them  by  numbers  and  take  their  place  and 
power  and  drink  of  their  Life-water,  that  they  will  not 
give  to  us.  If  myriads  of  us  perish  by  their  arts,  what 


226  When  the  World  Shook 

does  it  matter,  since  we  are  countless  ? '  So  the  World 
made  war  upon  the  Sons  of  Wisdom.  See !  " 

Again  a  picture  formed.  The  sky  was  full  of  air- 
craft which  rained  down  fire  like  flashes  of  lightning 
upon  cities  beneath.  From  these  cities  leapt  up  other 
fires  that  destroyed  the  swift-travelling  things  above,  so 
that  they  fell  in  numbers  like  gnats  burned  by  a  lamp. 
Still  more  and  more  of  them  came  till  the  cities  crumbled 
away  and  the  flashes  that  darted  from  them  ceased  to 
rush  upwards.  The  Sons  of  Wisdom  were  driven  from 
the  face  of  the  earth. 

Again  the  scene  changed.  Now  it  showed  this 
subterranean  hall  in  which  we  stood.  There  was  pomp 
here,  yet  it  was  but  a  shadow  of  that  which  had  been  in 
the  earlier  days  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  Courtiers 
moved  about  the  palace  and  there  were  people  in  the 
radiant  streets  and  the  houses,  for  most  of  them  were 
occupied,  but  rarely  did  the  vision  show  children 
coming  through  their  gates. 

Of  a  sudden  this  scene  shifted.  Now  we  saw  that 
same  hall  in  which  we  had  visited  Oro  not  an  hour 
before.  There  he  sat,  yes,  Oro  himself,  upon  the  dais 
beneath  the  overhanging  marble  shell.  Round  him 
were  some  ancient  councillors.  In  the  body  of  the  hall 
on  either  side  of  the  dais  were  men  in  military  array, 
guards  without  doubt  though  their  only  weapon  was  a 
black  rod  not  unlike  a  ruler,  if  indeed  it  were  a  weapon 
and  not  a  badge  of  office. 

Yva,  whose  face  had  suddenly  grown  strange  and 
fixed,  began  to  detail  to  us  what  was  passing  in  this 
scene,  in  a  curious  monotone  such  as  a  person  might  use 
who  was  repeating  something  learned  by  heart.  This 
was  the  substance  of  what  she  said : 


Visions  of  the  Past  227 

"  The  case  of  the  Sons  of  Wisdom  is  desperate.  But 
few  of  them  are  left.  Like  other  men  they  need  food 
which  is  hard  to  come  by,  since  the  foe  holds  the  upper 
earth  and  that  which  their  doctors  can  make  here  in  the 
Shades  does  not  satisfy  them,  even  though  they  drink 
the  Life-water.  They  die  and  die.  There  comes  an 
embassy  from  the  High  King  of  the  confederated 
Nations  to  talk  of  terms  of  peace.  See,  it  enters." 

As  she  spoke,  up  the  hall  advanced  the  embassy.  At 
the  head  of  it  walked  a  young  man,  tall,  dark,  handsome 
and  commanding,  whose  aspect  seemed  in  some  way  to 
be  familiar  to  me.  He  was  richly  clothed  in  a  purple 
cloak  and  wore  upon  his  head  a  golden  circlet  that  sug- 
gested royal  rank.  Those  who  followed  him  were  mostly 
old  men  who  had  the  astute  faces  of  diplomatists,  but  a 
few  seemed  to  be  generals.  Yva  continued  in  her 
monotonous  voice : 

"  Comes  the  son  of  the  King  of  the  confederated 
Nations,  the  Prince  who  will  be  king.  He  bows  before 
the  Lord  Oro.  He  says  '  Great  and  Ancient  Monarch  of 
the  divine  blood,  Heaven-born  One,  your  strait,  and  that 
of  those  who  remain  to  you,  is  sore.  Yet  on  behalf  of 
the  Nations  I  am  sent  to  offer  terms  of  peace,  but  this  I 
may  only  do  in  the  presence  of  your  child  who  is 
your  heiress  and  the  Queen-to-be  of  the  Sons  of  Wis- 
dom.' " 

Here,  in  the  picture,  Oro  waved  his  hand  and  from 
behind  the  marble  shell  appeared  Yva  herself,  gloriously 
apparelled,  wearing  royal  ornaments  and  with  her  train 
held  by  waiting  ladies.  She  bowed  to  the  Prince  and 
his  company  and  they  bowed  back  to  her.  More,  we 
saw  a  glance  of  recognition  pass  between  her  and  the 
Prince. 

Now  the  real  Yva  by  our  side  pointed  to  the  shadow 


228  When  the  World  Shook 

Yva  of  the  vision  or  the  picture,  whichever  it  might  be 
called,  a  strange  thing  to  see  her  do,  and  went  on : 

"  The  daughter  of  the  Lord  Oro  comes.  The  Prince 
of  the  Nations  salutes  her.  He  says  that  the  great  war 
has  endured  for  hundreds  of  years  between  the  Children 
of  Wisdom  fighting  for  absolute  rule  and  the  common 
people  of  the  earth  fighting  for  liberty.  In  that  war 
many  millions  of  the  Sons  of  the  Nations  had  perished, 
brought  to  their  death  by  fearful  arts,  by  wizardries  and 
by  plagues  sown  among  them  by  the  Sons  of  Wisdom. 
Yet  they  were  winning,  for  the  glorious  cities  of  the 
Sons  of  Wisdom  were  destroyed  and  those  who 
remained  of  them  were  driven  to  dwell  in  the  caves  of 
the  earth  where  with  all  their  strength  and  magic  they 
could  not  increase,  but  faded  like  flowers  in  the 
dark. 

"  The  Lord  Oro  asks  what  are  the  terms  of  peace 
proposed  by  the  Nations.  The  Prince  answers  that  they 
are  these :  That  the  Sons  of  Wisdom  shall  teach  all  their 
wisdom  to  the  wise  men  among  the  Nations.  That  they 
shall  give  them  to  drink  of  the  Life-water,  so  that  their 
length  of  days  also  may  be  increased.  That  they  shall 
cease  to  destroy  them  by  sickness  and  their  mastery  of 
the  forces  which  are  hid  in  the  womb  of  the  world.  If 
they  will  do  these  things,  then  the  Nations  on  their  part 
will  cease  from  war,  will  rebuild  the  cities  they  have 
destroyed  by  means  of  their  flying  ships  that  rain  down 
death,  and  will  agree  that  the  Lord  Oro  and  his  seed 
shall  rule  them  for  ever  as  the  King  of  kings. 

"The  Lord  Oro  asks  if  that  be  all.  The  Prince 
answers  that  it  is  not  all.  He  says  that  when  he  dwelt 
a  hostage  at  the  court  of  the  Sons  of  Wisdom  he  and  the 
divine  Lady,  the  daughter  of  the  Lord  Oro,  and  his  only 
living  child,  learned  to  love  each  other.  He  demands, 


Visions  of  the  Past  229 

and  the  Nations  demand,  that  she  shall  be  given  to  him 
to  wife,  that  in  a  day  to  come  he  may  rule  with  her 
and  their  children  after  them. 

"  See ! "  went  on  Yva  in  her  chanting,  dreamy  voice, 
"  the  Lord  Oro  asks  his  daughter  if  this  be  true.  She 
says,"  here  the  real  Yva  at  my  side  turned  and  looked 
me  straight  in  the  eyes,  "  that  it  is  true ;  that  she  loves 
the  Prince  of  the  Nations  and  that  if  she  lives  a  million 
years  she  will  wed  no  other  man,  since  she  who  is  her 
father's  slave  in  all  else  is  still  the  mistress  of  herself, 
as  has  ever  been  the  right  of  her  royal  mothers. 

"  See  again !  The  Lord  Oro,  the  divine  King,  the 
Ancient,  grows  wroth.  He  says  that  it  is  enough  and 
more  than  enough  that  the  Barbarians  should  ask  to  eat 
of  the  bread  of  hidden  learning  and  to  drink  of  the  Life- 
water  of  the  Sons  of  Wisdom,  gifts  that  were  given  to 
them  of  old  by  Heaven  whence  they  sprang  in  the  be- 
ginning. But  that  one  of  them,  however  highly  placed, 
should  dare  to  ask  to  mix  his  blood  with  that  of  the 
divine  Lady,  the  Heiress,  the  Queen  of  the  Earth  to  be, 
and  claim  to  share  her  imperial  throne  that  had  been 
held  by  her  pure  race  from  age  to  age,  was  an  insult 
that  could  only  be  purged  by  death.  Sooner  would 
he  give  his  daughter  in  marriage  to  an  ape  than  to  a 
child  of  the  Barbarians  who  had  worked  on  them  so 
many  woes  and  striven  to  break  the  golden  fetters  of 
their  rule. 

"  Look  again ! "  continued  Yva.  "  The  Lord  Oro, 
the  divine,  grows  angrier  still "  (which  in  truth  he  did, 
for  never  did  I  see  such  dreadful  rage  as  that  which  the 
picture  revealed  in  him).  "  He  warns,  he  threatens.  He 
says  that  hitherto  out  of  gentle  love  and  pity  he  has  held 
his  hand;  that  he  has  strength  at  his  command  which 
will  slay  them,  not  by  millions  in  slow  war,  but  by  tens 


230  When  the  World  Shook 

of  millions  at  one  blow;  that  will  blot  them  and  their 
peoples  from  the  face  of  earth  and  that  will  cause  the 
deep  seas  to  roll  where  now  their  pleasant  lands  are  fruit- 
ful in  the  sun.  They  shrink  before  his  fury ;  behold, 
their  knees  tremble  because  they  know  that  he  has  this 
power.  He  mocks  them,  does  the  Lord  Oro.  He  asks 
for  their  submission  here  and  now,  and  that  in  the  name 
of  the  Nations  they  should  take  the  great  oath  which 
may  not  be  broken,  swearing  to  cease  from  war  upon 
the  Sons  of  Wisdom  and  to  obey  them  in  all  things  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  Some  of  the  ambassadors  would 
yield.  They  look  about  them  like  wild  things  that  are 
trapped.  But  madness  takes  the  Prince.  He  cries  that 
the  oath  of  an  ape  is  of  no  account,  but  that  he  will  tear 
up  the  Children  of  Wisdom  as  an  ape  tears  leaves,  and 
afterwards  take  the  divine  Lady  to  be  his  wife. 

"  Look  on  the  Lord  Oro ! "  continued  the  living  Yva, 
"  his  wrath  leaves  him.  He  grows  cold  and  smiles. 
His  daughter  throws  herself  upon  her  knees  and  pleads 
with  him.  He  thrusts  her  away.  She  would  spring  to 
the  side  of  the  Prince;  he  commands  his  councillors  to 
hold  her.  She  cries  to  the  Prince  that  she  loves  him 
and  him  only,  and  that  in  a  day  to  come  him  she  will 
wed  and  no  other.  He  thanks  her,  saying  that  as  it  is 
with  her,  so  it  is  with  him,  and  that  because  of  his  love 
he  fears  nothing.  She  swoons.  The  Lord  Oro 
motions  with  his  hand  to  the  guard.  They  lift  their 
death-rods.  Fire  leaps  from  them.  The  Prince  and  his 
companions,  all  save  those  who  were  afraid  and  would 
have  sworn  the  oath,  twist  and  writhe.  They  turn 
black;  they  die.  The  Lord  Oro  commands  those  who 
are  left  to  enter  their  flying  ships  and  bear  to  the 
Nations  of  the  Earth  tidings  of  what  befalls  those  who 
dare  to  defy  and  insult  him;  to  warn  them  also  to  eat 


Visions  of  the  Past  231 

and  drink  and  be  merry  while  they  may,  since  for  their 
wickedness  they  are  about  to  perish." 

The  scene  faded  and  there  followed  another  which 
really  I  cannot  describe.  It  represented  some  vast 
underground  place  and  what  appeared  to  be  a  huge 
mountain  of  iron  clothed  in  light,  literally  a  thing  like 
an  alp,  rocking  and  spinning  down  a  declivity,  which 
farther  on  separated  into  two  branches  because  of  a  huge 
razor-edge  precipice  that  rose  between.  There  in  the 
middle  of  this  vast  space  with  the  dazzling  mountain 
whirling  towards  him,  stood  Oro  encased  in  some  trans- 
parent armour,  as  though  to  keep  off  heat,  and  with  him 
his  daughter  who  under  his  direction  was  handling 
something  in  the  rock  behind  her.  Then  there  was  a 
blinding  flash  and  everything  vanished.  All  of  this 
picture  passed  so  swiftly  that  we  could  not  grasp  its 
details;  only  a  general  impression  remained. 

"  The  Lord  Oro,  using  the  strength  that  is  in  the 
world  whereof  he  alone  has  the  secret,  changes  the 
world's  balance  causing  that  which  was  land  to  become 
sea  and  that  which  was  sea  to  become  land,"  said  Yva 
in  her  chanting,  unnatural  voice. 

Another  scene  of  stupendous  and  changing  awful- 
ness.  Countries  were  sinking,  cities  crashing  down, 
volcanoes  were  spouting  fire;  the  end  of  the  earth  seemed 
to  be  at  hand.  We  could  see  human  beings  running 
to  and  fro  in  thousands  like  ants.  Then  in  huge  waves 
hundreds  and  hundreds  of  feet  high,  the  ocean  flowed  in 
and  all  was  troubled,  yeasty  sea. 

"  Oro  carries  out  his  threat  to  destroy  the  Nations 
who  had  rebelled  against  him,"  said  Yva.  "  Much  of 
the  world  sinks  beneath  the  waves,  but  in  place  of  it 
other  lands  arise  above  the  waves,  to  be  inhabited  by  the 


232  When  the  World  Shook 

seed  of  those  who  remain  living  in  those  portions  of  the 
Earth  that  the  deluge  spared." 

This  horrible  vision  passed  and  was  succeeded  by 
one  more,  that  of  Oro  standing  in  the  sepulchre  of  the 
cave  by  the  side  of  the  crystal  coffin  which  contained 
what  appeared  to  be  the  body  of  his  daughter.  He 
gazed  at  her,  then  drank  some  potion  and  laid  himself 
down  in  the  companion  coffin,  that  in  which  we  had 
found  him. 

All  vanished  away  and  Yva,  appearing  to  wake  from 
some  kind  of  a  trance,  smiled,  and  in  her  natural  voice 
asked  if  we  had  seen  enough. 

"  Quite,"  I  answered  in  a  tone  that  caused  her  to 
say: 

"  I  wonder  what  you  have  seen,  Humphrey.  Myself 
I  do  not  know,  since  it  is  through  me  that  you  see  at  all 
and  when  you  see  I  am  in  you  who  see." 

"  Indeed,"  I  replied.  "  Well,  I  will  tell  you  about  it 
later." 

"  Thank  you  so  much,"  exclaimed  Bastin,  recovering 
suddenly  from  his  amazement.  "  I  have  heard  a  great 
deal  of  these  moving-picture  shows  which  are  becoming 
so  popular,  but  have  always  avoided  attending  them 
because  their  influence  on  the  young  is  supposed  to  be 
doubtful,  and  a  priest  must  set  a  good  example  to  his 
congregation.  Now  I  see  that  they  can  have  a  distinct 
educational  value,  even  if  it  is  presented  in  the  form  of 
romance." 

"  How  is  it  done?  "  asked  Bickley,  almost  fiercely. 

"  I  do  not  altogether  know,"  she  answered.  "  This 
I  do  know,  however,  that  everything  which  has  hap- 
pened on  this  world  can  be  seen  from  moment  to  moment 
at  some  point  in  the  depths  of  space,  for  thither  the 


Visions  of  the  Past  233 

sun's  light  takes  it.  There,  too,  it  can  be  caught  and 
thence  in  an  instant  returned  to  earth  again,  to  be 
reflected  in  the  mirror  of  the  present  by  those  who  know 
how  that  mirror  should  be  held.  Ask  me  no  more;  one 
so  wise  as  you,  O  Bickley,  can  solve  such  problems  for 
himself." 

"If  you  don't  mind,  Lady  Yva,"  said  Bastin,  "I 
think  I  should  like  to  get  out  of  this  place,  interesting 
as  it  is.  I  have  food  to  cook  up  above  and  lots  of  things 
to  attend  to,  especially  as  I  understand  I  am  to  come 
back  here  to-morrow.  Would  you  mind  showing  me 
the  way  to  that  lift  or  moving  staircase?  " 

"  Come,"  she  said,  smiling. 

So  we  went  past  the  image  of  Fate,  out  of  the  temple, 
down  the  vast  and  lonely  streets  so  unnaturally  illumin- 
ated, to  the  place  where  we  had  first  found  ourselves  on 
arrival  in  the  depths.  There  we  stood. 

A  moment  later  and  we  were  whirling  up  as  we  had 
whirled  down.  I  suppose  that  Yva  came  with  us 
though  I  never  saw  her  do  so,  and  the  odd  thing  was 
that  when  we  arrived  in  the  sepulchre,  she  seemed 
already  to  be  standing  there  waiting  to  direct  us. 

"  Really,"  remarked  Bastin,  "  this  is  exactly  like 
Maskelyne  and  Cook.  Did  you  ever  see  their  perform- 
ance, Bickley?  If  so,  it  must  have  given  you  lots  to 
explain  for  quite  a  long  while." 

"  Jugglerv  never  appealed  to  me,  whether  in  London 
or  in  Orofena,"  replied  Bickley  in  a  sour  voice  as  he 
extracted  from  his  pocket  an  end  of  candle  to  which  he 
set  light. 

"What  is.  jugglery?"  asked  Bastin,  and  they 
departed  arguing,  leaving  me  alone  with  Yva  in  the 
sepulchre. 

"  What  have  I  seen  ?  "  I  asked  her. 


234  When  the  World  Shook 

"  I  do  not  know,  Humphrey.  Everyone  sees  differ- 
ent things,  but  perhaps  something  of  the  truth." 

"  I  hope  not,  Yva,  for  amongst  other  things  I  seemed 
to  see  you  swear  yourself  to  a  man  for  ever." 

"  Yes,  and  this  I  did.    What  of  it?  " 

"  Only  that  it  might  be  hard  for  another  man." 

"  Yes,  for  another  man  it  might  be  hard.  You  were 
once  married,  were  you  not,  Humphrey,  to  a  wife  who 
died?" 

"  Yes,  I  was  married." 

"  And  did  you  not  swear  to  that  wife  that  you  would 
never  look  in  love  upon  another  woman  ?  " 

"  I  did,"  I  answered  in  a  shamed  voice.  "  But  how 
do  you  know?  I  never  told  you  so." 

"  Oh !  I  know  you  and  therefore  guessed." 

"Well,  what  of  it,  Yva?" 

"  Nothing,  except  that  you  must  find  your  wife  before 
you  love  again,  and  before  I  love  again  I  must  find  him 
whom  I  wish  to  be  my  husband." 

"  How  can  that  happen,"  I  asked,  "  when  both  are 
dead?" 

"  How  did  all  that  you  have  seen  to-day  in  Nyo 
happen?"  she  replied,  laughing  softly.  "Perhaps  you 
are  very  blind,  Humphrey,  or  perhaps  we  both  are  blind. 
If  so,  mayhap  light  will  come  to  us.  Meanwhile  do  not 
be  sad.  To-morrow  I  will  meet  you  and  you  shall  teach 
me — your  English  tougue,  Humphrey,  and  other 
things." 

"  Then  let  it  be  in  the  sunlight,  Yva.  I  do  not  love 
those  darksome  halls  of  Nyo  that  glow  like  something 
dead." 

"  It  is  fitting,  for  are  they  not  dead  ?  "  she  answered, 
with  a  little  laugh.  "  So  be  it.  Bastin  shall  teach  my 
father  down  below,  since  sun  and  shade  are  the  same  to 


Visions  of  the  Past  235 

him  who  only  thinks  of  his  religion,  and  you  shall  teach 
me  up  above." 

"  I  am  not  so  certain  about  Bastin  and  of  what  he 
thinks,"  I  said  doubtfully.  "Also  will  the  Lord  Oro 
permit  you  to  come?  " 

"  Yes,  for  in  such  matters  I  rule  myself.  Also,"  she 
added  meaningly,  "  he  remembers  my  oath  that  I  will 
wed  no  man — save  one  who  is  dead.  Now  farewell  a 
while  and  bid  Bastin  be  here  when  the  sun  is  three  hours 
high,  not  before  or  after." 

Then  I  left  her. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

YVA   EXPLAINS 

WHEN  I  reached  the  rock  I  was  pleased  to  find  Marama 
and  about  twenty  of  his  people  engaged  in  erecting  the 
house  that  we  had  ordered  them  to  build  for  our  accom- 
modation. Indeed,  it  was  nearly  finished,  since  house- 
building in  Orofena  is  a  simple  business.  The  frame- 
work of  poles  let  into  palm  trunks,  since  they  could  not 
be  driven  into  the  rock,  had  been  put  together  on  the 
further  shore  and  towed  over  bodily  by  canoes.  The 
overhanging  rock  formed  one  side  of  the  house;  the 
ends  were  of  palm  leaves  tied  to  the  poles,  and  the  roof 
was  of  the  same  material.  The  other  side  was  left  open 
for  the  present,  which  in  that  equable  and  balmy  clime 
was  no  disadvantage.  The  whole  edifice  was  about 
thirty  feet  long  by  fifteen  deep  and  divided  into  two 
portions,  one  for  sleeping  and  one  for  living,  by  a  palm 
leaf  partition.  Really,  it  was  quite  a  comfortable  abode, 
cool  and  rainproof,  especially  after  Bastin  had  built  his 
hut  in  which  to  cook. 

Marama  and  his  people  were  very  humble  in  their 
demeanour  and  implored  us  to  visit  them  on  the  main 
island.  I  answered  that  perhaps  we  would  later  on,  as 
we  wished  to  procure  certain  things  from  the  wreck. 
Also,  he  requested  Bastin  to  continue  his  ministrations 
as  the  latter  greatly  desired  to  do.  But  to  this  proposal 
I  would  not  allow  him  to  give  any  direct  answer  at  the 
moment.  Indeed,  I  dared  not  do  so  until  I  was  sure  of 
Oro's  approval. 

236 


Yva  Explains  237 

Towards  evening  they  departed  in  their  canoes, 
leaving  behind  them  the  usual  ample  store  of  provisions. 

We  cooked  our  meal  as  usual,  only  to  discover  that 
what  Yva  had  said  about  the  Life-water  was  quite  true, 
since  we  had  but  little  appetite  for  solid  food,  though 
this  returned  upon  the  following  day.  The  same  thing 
happened  upon  every  occasion  after  drinking  of  that 
water  which  certainly  was  a  most  invigorating  fluid. 
Never  for  years  had  any  of  us  felt  so  well  as  it  caused 
us  to  do. 

So  we  lit  our  pipes  and  talked  about  our  experiences, 
though  of  these,  indeed,  we  scarcely  knew  what  to  say. 
Bastin  accepted  them  as  something  out  of  the  common, 
of  course,  but  as  facts  which  admitted  of  no  discussion. 
After  all,  he  said,  the  Old  Testament  told  much  the 
same  story  of  people  called  the  Sons  of  God  who  lived 
very  long  lives  and  ran  after  the  daughters  of  men 
whom  they  should  have  left  alone,  and  thus  became  the 
progenitors  of  a  remarkable  race.  Of  this  race,  he 
presumed  that  Oro  and  his  daughter  were  survivors, 
especially  as  they  spoke  of  their  family  as  "  Heaven 
born."  How  they  came  to  survive  was  more  than  he 
could  understand  and  really  scarcely  worth  bothering 
over,  since  there  they  were. 

It  was  the  same  about  the  Deluge,  continued  Bastin, 
although  naturally  Oro  spoke  falsely,  or,  at  any  rate, 
grossly  exaggerated,  when  he  declared  that  he  had 
caused  this  catastrophe,  unless  indeed  he  was  talking 
about  a  totally  different  deluge,  though  even  then  he 
could  not  have  brought  it  about.  It  was  curious,  how- 
ever, that  the  people  drowned  were  said  to  have  been 
wicked,  and  Oro  had  the  same  opinion  about  those 
whom  he  claimed  to  have  drowned,  though  for  the 
matter  of  that,  he  could  not  conceive  anyone  more 


238  When  the  World  Shook 

wicked  than  Oro  himself.  On  his  own  showing  he  was 
a  most  revengeful  person  and  one  who  declined  to  agree 
to  a  quite  suitable  alliance,  apparently  desired  by  both 
parties,  merely  because  it  offended  his  family  pride. 
No,  on  reflection  he  might  be  unjust  to  Oro  in  this  par- 
ticular, since  he  never  told  that  story;  it  was  only  shown 
in  some  pictures  which  very  likely  were  just  made  up  to 
astonish  us.  Meanwhile,  it  was  his  business  to  preach 
to  this  old  sinner  down  in  that  hole,  and  he  confessed 
honestly  that  he  did  not  like  the  job.  Still,  it  must  be 
done,  so  with  our  leave  he  would  go  apart  and  seek 
inspiration,  which  at  present  seemed  to  be  quite  lacking. 

Thus  declaimed  Bastin  and  departed. 

"  Don't  you  tell  your  opinion  about  the  Deluge  or 
he  may  cause  another  just  to  show  that  you  are  wrong," 
called  Bickley  after  him. 

"  I  can't  help  that,"  answered  Bastin.  "  Certainly  I 
shall  not  hide  the  truth  to  save  Oro's  feelings,  if  he 
has  got  any.  If  he  revenges  himself  upon  us  in  any 
way,  we  must  just  put  up  with  it  like  other  martyrs." 

"  I  haven't  the  slightest  ambition  to  be  a  martyr," 
said  Bickley. 

"  No,"  shouted  Bastin  from  a  little  distance,  "  I  am 
quite  aware  of  that,  as  you  have  often  said  so  before. 
Therefore,  if  you  become  one,  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I 
do  not  see  how  you  can  expect  any  benefit.  You  would 
only  be  like  a  man  who  puts  a  sovereign  into  the 
offertory  bag  in  mistake  for  a  shilling.  The  extra  nine- 
teen shillings  will  do  him  no  good  at  all,  since  in  his 
heart  he  regrets  the  error  and  wishes  that  he  could  have 
them  back." 

.  Then  he  departed,  leaving  me  laughing.  But  Bickley 
did  not  laugh. 

"  Arbuthnot,"  he  said,   "  I  have  come  to  the  con- 


Yva  Explains  239 

elusion  that  I  have  gone  quite  mad.  I  beg  you  if  I 
should  show  signs  of  homicidal  mania,  which  I  feel 
developing  in  me  where  Bastin  is  concerned,  or  of  other 
abnormal  violence,  that  you  will  take  whatever  steps 
you  consider  necessary,  even  to  putting  me  out  of  the 
way  if  that  is  imperative." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  I  asked.  "  You  seem  sane 
enough." 

"  Sane,  when  I  believe  that  I  have  seen  and  experi- 
enced a  great  number  of  things  which  I  know  it  to  be 
quite  impossible  that  I  should  have  seen  or  experi- 
enced. The  only  explanation  is  that  I  am  suffering 
from  delusions." 

"Then  is  Bastin  suffering  from  delusions,  too?" 

"  Certainly,  but  that  is  nothing  new  in  his  case." 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you,  Bickley — about  Bastin,  I 
mean.  I  am  by  no  means  certain  that  he  is  not  the 
wisest  of  the  three  of  us.  He  has  a  faith  and  he  sticks 
to  it,  as  millions  have  done  before  him,  and  that  is 
better  than  making  spiritual  experiments,  as  I  am  sorry 
to  say  I  do,  or  rejecting  things  because  one  cannot 
understand  them,  as  you  do,  which  is  only  a  form  of 
intellectual  vanity." 

"  I  won't  argue  the  matter,  Arbuthnot ;  it  is  of  no 
use.  I  repeat  that  I  am  mad,  and  Bastin  is  mad." 

"  How  about  me  ?  I  also  saw  and  experienced  these 
things.  Am  I  mad,  too  ?  " 

"  You  ought  to  be,  Arbuthnot.  If  it  isn't  enough  to 
drive  a  man  mad  when  he  sees  himself  exactly  repro- 
duced in  an  utterly  impossible  moving-picture  show 
exhibited  by  an  utterly  impossible  young  woman  in  an 
utterly  impossible  underground  city,  then  I  don't  know 
what  is." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  I  asked,  starting. 


240  When  the  World  Shook 

"Mean?  Well,  if  you  didn't  notice  it,  there's  hope 
for  you." 

"Notice  what?" 

"All  that  envoy  scene.  There,  as  I  thought,  ap- 
peared Yva.  Do  you  admit  that?  " 

"Of  course;  there  could  be  no  mistake  on  that 
point" 

"  Very  well.  Then  according  to  my  version  there 
came  a  man,  still  young,  dressed  in  outlandish  clothes, 
who  made  propositions  of  peace  and  wanted  to  marry 
Yva,  who  wanted  to  marry  him.  Is  that  right?  " 

"  Absolutely." 

"Well,  and  didn't  you  recognise  the  man?" 

"  No;  I  only  noticed  that  he  was  a  fine-look- 
ing fellow  whose  appearance  reminded  me  of  some- 
one." 

"  I  suppose  it  must  be  true,"  mused  Bickley,  "  that 
we  do  not  know  ourselves." 

"  So  the  old  Greek  thought,  since  he  urged  that  this 
should  be  our  special  study.  '  Know  thyself,'  you 
remember." 

"  I  meant  physically,  not  intellectually.  Arbuthnot, 
do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  did  not  recognise  your 
own  double  in  that  man?  Shave  off  your  beard  and 
put  on  his  clothes  and  no  one  could  distinguish  you 
apart." 

I  sprang  up,  dropping  my  pipe. 

"  Now  you  mention  it,"  I  said  slowly,  "  I  suppose 
there  was  a  resemblance.  I  didn't  look  at  him  very 
much;  I  was  studying  the  simulacrum  of  Yva.  Also, 
you  know  it  is  some  time  since — I  mean,  there  are  no 
pier-glasses  in  Orofena." 

"  The  man  was  you,"  went  on  Bickley  with  con- 
viction. "  If  I  were  superstitious  I  should  think  it  a 


Yva  Explains  241 

queer  sort  of  omen.  But  as  I  am  not,  I  know  that  I 
must  be  mad." 

"Why?  After  all,  an  ancient  man  and  a  modern 
man  might  resemble  each  other." 

"  There  are  degrees  in  resemblance,"  said  Bickley 
with  one  of  his  contemptuous  snorts.  "  It  won't  do, 
Humphrey,  my  boy,"  he  added.  "  I  can  only  think 
of  one  possible  explanation — outside  of  the  obvious  one 
of  madness." 

"What  is  that?" 

"  The  Glittering  Lady  produced  what  Bastin  called 
that  cinematograph  show  in  some  way  or  other,  did  she 
not?  She  said  that  in  order  to  do  this  she  loosed  some 
hidden  forces.  I  suggest  that  she  did  nothing  of  the 
sort." 

"Then  whence  did  the  pictures  come  and  why?" 

"  From  her  own  brain,  in  order  to  impress  us  with  a 
cock-and-bull,  fairy-book  story.  If  this  were  so  she 
would  quite  naturally  fill  the  role  of  the  lover  of  the 
piece  with  the  last  man  who  had  happened  to  impress 
her.  Hence  the  resemblance." 

"  You  presuppose  a  great  deal,  Bickley,  including 
supernatural  cunning  and  unexampled  hypnotic  in- 
fluence. I  don't  know,  first,  why  she  should  be  so 
anxious  to  add  another  impression  to  the  many  we  have 
received  in  this  place;  and,  secondly,  if  she  was,  how 
she  managed  to  mesmerise  three  average  but  totally 
different  men  into  seeing  the  same  things.  My  explana- 
tion is  that  you  were  deceived  as  to  the  likeness,  which, 
mind  you,  I  did  not  recognise;  nor,  apparently,  did 
Bastin." 

"  Bastin  never  recognises  anything.  But  if  you  are 
in  doubt,  ask  Yva  herself.  She  ought  to  know.  Now 
I'm  off  to  try  to  analyse  that  confounded  Life-water, 


242  When  the  World  Shook 

which  I  suspect  is  of  the  ordinary  spring  variety, 
lightened  up  with  natural  carbonic  acid  gas  and  possibly 
not  uninfluenced  by  radium.  The  trouble  is  that  here  I 
can  only  apply  some  very  elementary  tests." 

So  he  went  also,  in  an  opposite  direction  to  Bastin, 
and  I  was  left  alone  with  Tommy,  who  annoyed  me 
much  by  attempting  continually  to  wander  off  into  the 
cave,  whence  I  must  recall  him.  I  suppose  that  my 
experiences  of  the  day,  reviewed  beneath  the  sweet  in- 
fluences of  the  wonderful  tropical  night,  affected  me. 
At  any  rate,  that  mystical  side  of  my  nature,  to  which 
I  think  I  alluded  at  the  beginning  of  this  record,  sprang 
into  active  and,  in  a  sense,  unholy  life.  The  normal 
vanished,  the  abnormal  took  possession,  and  that  is  un- 
holy to  most  of  us  creatures  of  habit  and  tradition,  at 
any  rate,  if  we  are  British.  I  lost  my  footing  on  the 
world;  my  spirit  began  to  wander  in  strange  places;  of 
course,  always  supposing  that  we  have  a  spirit,  which 
Bickley  would  deny. 

I  gave  up  reason;  I  surrendered  myself  to  unreason; 
it  is  a  not  unpleasant  process,  occasionally.  Supposing 
now  that  all  we  see  and  accept  is  but  the  merest  frag- 
ment of  the  truth,  or  perhaps  only  a  refraction  thereof? 
Supposing  that  we  do  live  again  and  again,  and  that 
our  animating  principle,  whatever  it  might  be,  does  in- 
habit various  bodies,  which,  naturally  enough,  it  would 
shape  to  its  own  taste  and  likeness?  Would  that  taste 
and  likeness  vary  so  very  much  over,  let  us  say,  a 
million  years  or  so,  which,  after  all,  is  but  an  hour,  or 
a  minute,  in  the  aeons  of  Eternity? 

On  this  hypothesis,  which  is  so  wild  that  one  begins 
to  suspect  that  it  may  be  true,  was  it  impossible  that  I 
and  that  murdered  man  of  the  far  past  were  in  fact 
identical?  If  the  woman  were  the  same,  preserved 


Yva  Explains  243 

across  the  gulf  in  some  unknown  fashion,  why  should 
not  her  lover  be  the  same?  What  did  I  say — her  lover? 
Was  I  her  lover?  No,  I  was  the  lover  of  one  who  had 
died — my  lost  wife.  Well,  if  I  had  died  and  lived  again, 
why  should  not — why  should  not  that  Sleeper — have 
lived  again  during  her  long  sleep?  Through  all  those 
years  the  spirit  must  have  had  some  home,  and,  if  so, 
in  what  shapes  did  it  live?  There  were  points,  similari- 
ties, which  rushed  in  upon  me — oh!  it  was  ridiculous. 
Bickley  was  right.  We  were  all  mad! 

There  was  another  thing.  Oro  had  declared  that  we 
were  at  war  with  Germany.  If  this  were  so,  how  could 
he  know  it?  Such  knowledge  would  presume  powers  of 
telepathy  or  vision  beyond  those  given  to  man.  I  could 
not  believe  that  he  possessed  these;  as  Bickley  said,  it 
would  be  past  experience.  Yet  it  was  most  strange  that 
he  who  was  uninformed  as  to  our  national  history  and 
dangers,  should  have  hit  upon  a  country  with  which  we 
might  well  have  been  plunged  into  sudden  struggle. 
Here  again  I  was  bewildered  and  overcome.  My  brain 
rocked.  I  would  seek  sleep,  and  in  it  escape,  or  at  any 
rate  rest  from  all  these  mysteries. 

On  the  following  morning  we  despatched  Bastin  to 
keep  his  rendezvous  in  the  sepulchre  at  the  proper  time. 
Had  we  not  done  so  I  felt  sure  that  he  would  hav«f 
forgotten  it,  for  on  this  occasion  he  was  for  once  an  un- 
willing missioner.  He  tried  to  persuade  one  of  us  to 
come  with  him — even  Bickley  would  have  been  wel- 
come; but  we  both  declared  that  we  could  not  dream  of 
interfering  in  such  a  professional  matter;  also  that  our 
presence  was  forbidden,  and  would  certainly  distract  the 
attention  of  his  pupil. 

"  What  you  mean,"  said  the  gloomy  Bastin,  "  is  that 


244  When  the  World  Shook 

you  intend  to  enjoy  yourselves  up  here  in  the  female 
companionship  of  the  Glittering  Lady  whilst  I  sit 
thousands  of  feet  underground  attempting  to  lighten  the 
darkness  of  a  violent  old  sinner  whom  I  suspect  of  being 
in  league  with  Satan." 

"  With  whom  you  should  be  proud  to  break  a  lance," 
said  Bickley. 

"  So  I  am,  in  the  daylight.  For  instance,  when  he 
uses  your  mouth  to  advance  his  arguments.  Bickley, 
but  this  is  another  matter.  However,  if  I  do  not  appear 
again  you  will  know  that  I  died  in  a  good  cause,  and,  I 
hope,  try  to  recover  my  remains  and  give  them  decent 
burial.  Also,  you  might  inform  the  Bishop  of  how  I 
came  to  my  end,  this  is,  if  you  ever  get  an  opportunity, 
which  is  more  than  doubtful." 

"Hurry  up,  Bastin,  hurry  up!"  said  the  unfeeling 
Bickley,  "  or  you  will  be  late  for  your  appointment  and 
put  your  would-be  neophyte  into  a  bad  temper." 

Then  Bastin  went,  carrying  under  his  arm  a  large 
Bible  printed  in  the  language  of  the  South  Sea  Islands. 

A  little  while  later  Yva  appeared,  arrayed  in  her 
wondrous  robes  which,  being  a  man,  it  is  quite  impos- 
sible for  me  to  describe.  She  saw  us  looking  at  these, 
and,  after  greeting  us  both,  also  Tommy,  who  was  en- 
raptured at  her  coming,  asked  us  how  the  ladies  of  our 
country  attired  themselves. 

We  tried  to  explain,  with  no  striking  success. 

"  You  are  as  stupid  about  such  matters  as  were  the 
men  of  the  Old  World,"  she  said,  shaking  her  head  and 
laughing.  "  I  thought  that  you  had  with  you  pictures 
of  ladies  you  have  known  which  would  show  me." 

Now,  in  fact,  I  had  in  a  pocket-book  a  photograph 
of  my  wife  in  evening-dress,  also  a  miniature  of  her 
head  and  bust  painted  on  ivory,  a  beautiful  piece  of 


Yva  Explains  245 

work  done  by  a  master  hand,  which  I  always  wore. 
These,  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  I  produced  and 
showed  to  her,  Bickley  having  gone  away  for  a  little 
while  to  see  about  something  connected  with  his  at- 
tempted analysis  of  the  Life- water.  She  examined  them 
with  great  eagerness,  and  as  she  did  so  I  noted  that  her 
face  grew  tender  and  troubled. 

"  This  was  your  wife,"  she  said  as  one  who  states 
what  she  knows  to  be  a  fact.  I  nodded,  and  she  went  on : 

"  She  was  sweet  and  beautiful  as  a  flower,  but  not  so 
tall  as  I  am,  I  think." 

"No,"  I  answered,  "she  lacked  height;  given  that 
she  would  have  been  a  lovely  woman." 

"  I  am  glad  you  think  that  women  should  be  tall," 
she  said,  glancing  at  her  shadow.  "  The  eyes  were  such 
as  mine,  were  they  not — in  colour,  I  mean?  " 

"  Yes,  very  like  yours,  only  yours  are  larger." 

"That  is  a  beautiful  way  of  wearing  the  hair. 
Would  you  be  angry  if  I  tried  it?  I  weary  of  this  old 
fashion." 

"  Why  should  I  be  angry?  "  I  asked. 

At  this  moment  Bickley  reappeared  and  she  began 
to  talk  of  the  details  of  the  dress,  saying  that  it  showed 
more  of  the  neck  than  had  been  the  custom  among  the 
women  of  her  people,  but  was  very  pretty. 

"  That  is  because  we  are  still  barbarians,"  said 
Bickley ;  "  at  least,  our  women  are,  and  therefore  rely 
upon  primitive  methods  of  attraction,  like  the  savages 
yonder." 

She  smiled,  and,  after  a  last,  long  glance,  gave  me 
back  the  photograph  and  the  miniature,  saying  as  she 
delivered  the  latter: 

"  I  rejoice  to  see  that  you  are  faithful,  Humphrey, 
and  wear  this  picture  on  your  heart,  as  well  as  in  it." 


246  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Then  you  must  be  a  very  remarkable  woman,"  said 
Bickley.  "  Never  before  did  I  hear  one  of  your  sex 
rejoice  because  a  man  was  faithful  to  somebody  else." 

"  Has  Bickley  been  disappointed  in  his  love-heart, 
that  he  is  so  angry  to  us  women?"  asked  Yva  inno- 
cently of  me.  Then,  without  waiting  for  an  answer,  she 
inquired  of  him  whether  he  had  been  successful  in  his 
analysis  of  the  Life- water. 

"  How  do  you  know  what  I  was  doing  with  the  Life- 
water?  Did  Bastin  tell  you?  "  exclaimed  Bickley. 

"  Bastin  told  me  nothing,  except  that  he  was  afraid 
of  the  descent  to  Nyo;  that  he  hated  Nyo  when  he 
reached  it,  as  indeed  I  do,  and  that  he  thought  that  my 
father,  the  Lord  Oro,  was  a  devil  or  evil  spirit  from  some 
Under-world  which  he  called  hell." 

"  Bastin  has  an  open  heart  and  an  open  mouth," 
said  Bickley,  "  for  which  I  respect  him.  Follow  his 
example  if  you  will,  Lady  Yva,  and  tell  us  who  and 
what  is  the  Lord  Oro,  and  who  and  what  are  you." 

"  Have  we  not  done  so  already?  If  not,  I  will  repeat. 
The  Lord  Oro  and  I  are  two  who  have  lived  on  from  the 
old  time  when  the  world  was  different,  and  yet,  I  think, 
the  same.  He  is  a  man  and  not  a  god,  and  I  am  a  woman. 
His  powers  are  great  because  of  his  knowledge,  which 
he  has  gathered  from  his  forefathers  and  in  a  life  of  a 
thousand  years  before  he  went  to  sleep.  He  can  do 
things  you  cannot  do.  Thus,  he  can  pass  through  space 
and  take  others  with  him,  and  return  again.  He  can 
learn  what  is  happening  in  far-off  parts  of  the  world,  as 
he  did  when  he  told  you  of  the  war  in  which  your 
country  is  concerned.  He  has  terrible  powers;  for  in- 
stance, he  can  kill,  as  he  killed  those  savages.  Also,  he 
knows  the  secrets  of  the  earth,  and,  if  it  pleases  him,  can 
change  its  turning  so  that  earthquakes  happen  and  sea 


Yva  Explains  247 

becomes  land,  and  land  sea,  and  the  places  that  were 
hot  grow  cold,  and  those  that  were  cold  grow  hot." 

"  All  of  which  things  have  happened  many  time  in 
the  history  of  the  globe,"  said  Bickley,  "  without  the 
help  of  the  Lord  Oro." 

"  Others  had  knowledge  before  my  father,  and  others 
doubtless  will  have  knowledge  after  him.  Even  I,  Yva, 
have  some  knowledge,  and  knowledge  is  strength." 

"  Yes,"  I  interposed,  "  but  such  powers  as  you  attri- 
bute to  your  father  are  not  given  to  man." 

"You  mean  to  man  as  you  know  him,  man  like 
Bickley,  who  thinks  that  he  has  learned  everything  that 
was  ever  learned.  But  it  is  not  so.  Hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  years  ago  men  knew  more  than  it  seems  they 
do  to-day,  ten  times  more,  as  they  lived  ten  times  longer, 
or  so  you  tell  me." 

"Men?"  I  said. 

"Yes,  men,  not  gods  or  spirits,  as  the  uninstructed 
nations  supposed  them  to  be.  My  father  is  a  man  sub- 
ject to  the  hopes  and  terrors  of  man.  He  desires  power 
which  is  ambition,  and  when  the  world  refused  his  rule, 
he  destroyed  that  part  of  it  which  rebelled,  which  is  re- 
venge. Moreover,  above  all  things  he  dreads  death, 
which  is  fear.  That  is  why  he  suspended  life  in  himself 
and  me  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  years,  as 
his  knowledge  gave  him  strength  to  do,  because  death 
was  near  and  he  thought  that  sleep  was  better  than 
death." 

"Why  should  he  dread  to  die,"  asked  Bickley, 
"  seeing  that  sleep  and  death  are  the  same  ?  " 

"  Because  his  knowledge  tells  him  that  Sleep  and 
Death  are  not  the  same,  as  you,  in  your  foolishness, 
believe,  for  there  Bastin  is  wiser  than  you.  Because  for 
all  his  wisdom  he  remains  ignorant  of  what  happens  to 


248  When  the  World  Shook 

man  when  the  Light  of  Life  is  blown  out  by  the  breath 
of  Fate.  That  is  why  he  fears  to  die  and  why  he  talks 
with  Bastin  the  Preacher,  who  says  he  has  the  secret  of 
the  future." 

"  And  do  you  fear  to  die  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  No,  Humphrey,"  she  answered  gently.  "  Because 
I  think  that  there  is  no  death,  and,  having  done  no 
wrong,  I  dread  no  evil.  I  had  dreams  while  I  was 
asleep,  O  Humphrey,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that " 

Here  she  ceased  and  glanced  at  where  she  knew  the 
miniature  was  hanging  upon  my  breast. 

"  Now/'  she  continued,  after  a  little  pause,  "  tell  me 
of  your  world,  of  its  history,  of  its  languages,  of  what 
happens  there,  for  I  long  to  know." 

So  then  and  there,  assisted  by  Bickley,  I  began  the 
education  of  the  Lady  Yva.  I  do  not  suppose  that  there 
was  ever  a  more  apt  pupil  in  the  whole  earth.  To  begin 
with,  she  was  better  acquainted  with  every  subject  on 
which  I  touched  than  I  was  myself;  all  she  lacked  was 
information  as  to  its  modern  aspect. .  Her  knowledge 
ended  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  years  ago,  at 
which  date,  however,  it  would  seem  that  civilisation  had 
already  touched  a  higher  water-mark  than  it  has  ever 
since  attained.  Thus,  this  vanished  people  understood 
astronomy,  natural  magnetism,  the  force  of  gravity, 
steam,  also  electricity  to  some  subtle  use  of  which,  I 
gathered,  the  lighting  of  their  underground  city  was  to 
be  attributed.  They  had  mastered  architecture  and  the 
arts,  as  their  buildings  and  statues  showed;  they  could 
fly  through  the  air  better  than  we  have  learned  to  do 
within  the  last  few  years. 

More,  they,  or  some  of  them,  had  learned  the  use  of 
the  Fourth  Dimension,  that  is  their  most  instructed 
individuals,  could  move  through  opposing  things,  as 


Yva  Explains  249 

well  as  over  them,  up  into  them  and  across  them.  This 
power  these  possessed  in  a  two-fold  form.  I  mean,  that 
they  could  either  disintegrate  their  bodies  at  one  spot 
and  cause  them  to  integrate  again  at  another,  or  they 
could  project  what  the  old  Egyptians  called  the  Ka  or 
Double,  and  modern  Theosophists  name  the  Astral 
Shape,  to  any  distance.  Moreover,  this  Double,  or 
Astral  Shape,  while  itself  invisible,  still,  so  to  speak, 
had  the  use  of  its  senses.  It  could  see,  it  could  hear, 
and  it  could  remember,  and,  on  returning  to  the  body,  it 
could  avail  itself  of  the  experience  thus  acquired. 

.Thus,  at  least,  said  Yva,  while  Bickley  contemplated 
her  with  a  cold  and  unbelieving  eye.  She  even  went 
further  and  alleged  that  in  certain  instances,  individuals 
of  her  extinct  race  had  been  able  to  pass  through  the 
ether  and  to  visit  other  worlds  in  the  depths  of  space. 

"  Have  you  ever  done  that  ?  "  asked  Bickley. 

"  Once  or  twice  I  dreamed  that  I  did,"  she  replied 
quietly. 

"  We  can  all  dream,"  he  answered. 

As  it  was  my  lot  to  make  acquaintance  with  this 
strange  and  uncanny  power  at  a  later  date,  I  will  say 
no  more  of  it  now. 

Telepathy,  she  declared,  was  also  a  developed  gift 
among  the  Sons  of  Wisdom;  indeed,  they  seem  to  have 
used  it  as  we  use  wireless  messages.  Only,  in  their 
case,  the  sending  and  receiving  stations  were  skilled 
and  susceptible  human  beings  who  went  on  duty  for  so 
many  hours  at  a  time.  Thus  intelligence  was  trans- 
mitted with  accuracy  and  despatch.  Those  who  had 
this  faculty  were,  she  said,  also  very  apt  at  reading 
the  minds  of  others  and  therefore  not  easy  to  deceive. 

"  Is  i  that  how  you  know  that  I  had  been  trying  to 
analyse  your  Life-water?"  asked  Bickley. 


250  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  with  her  unvarying  smile. 
"  At  the  moment  I  spoke  thereof  you  were  wondering 
whether  my  father  would  be  angry  if  he  knew  that  you 
bad  taken  the  water  in  a  little  flask."  She  studied  him 
for  a  moment,  then  added :  "  Now  you  are  wondering, 
first,  whether  I  did  not  see  you  take  the  water  from 
the  fountain  and  guess  the  purpose,  and,  secondly, 
whether  perhaps  Bastin  did  not  tell  me  what  you  were 
doing  with  it  when  we  met  in  the  sepulchre." 

"  Look  here,"  said  the  exasperated  Bickley,  "  I  admit 
that  telepathy  and  thought-reading  a^e  possible  to  a 
certain  limited  extent.  But  supposing  that  you  possess 
those  powers,  as  I  think  in  English,  and  you  do  not 
know  English,  how  can  you  interpret  what  is  passing 
in  my  mind  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  you  have  been  teaching  me  English  all 
this  while  without  knowing  it,  Bickley.  In  any  case,  it 
matters  little,  seeing  that  what  I  read  is  the  thought,  not 
the  language  with  which  it  is  clothed.  The  thought 
comes  from  your  mind  to  mine — that  is,  if  I  wish  it, 
which  is  not  often — and  I  interpret  it  in  my  own  or 
other  tongues." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it  is  not  often,  Lady  Yva,  since 
thoughts  are  generally  considered  private." 

"  Yes,  and  therefore  I  will  read  yours  no  more.  Why 
should  I,  when  they  are  so  full  of  disbelief  of  all  I  tell 
you,  and  sometimes  of  other  things  about  myself  which 
I  do  not  seek  to  know  ?  " 

"  No  wonder  that,  according  to  the  story  in  the  pic- 
tures, those  Nations,  whom  you  named  Barbarians,  made 
an  end  of  your  people,  Lady  Yva." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  Bickley ;  the  Lord  Oro  made  an 
end  of  the  Nations,  though  against  my  prayer,"  she 
added  with  a  sigh. 


Yva  Explains  251 

Then  Bickley  departed  in  a  rage,  and  did  not  appear 
again  for  an  hour. 

"  He  is  angry,"  she  said,  looking  after  him ;  "  nor  do 
I  wonder.  It  is  hard  for  the  very  clever  like  Bickley, 
who  think  that  they  have  mastered  all  things,  to  find 
that  after  all  they  are  quite  ignorant.  I  am  sorry  for 
him,  and  I  like  him  much." 

"  Then  you  would  be  sorry  for  me  also,  Lady  Yva?  " 

"Why?"  she  asked  with  a  dazzling  smile,  "when 
your  heart  is  athirst  for  knowledge,  gaping  for  it  like 
a  fledgling's  mouth  for  food,  and,  as  it  chances,  though 
I  am  not  very  wise,  I  can  satisfy  something  of  your  soul- 
hunger." 

"  Not  very  wise !  "  I  repeated. 

"  No,  Humphrey.  I  think  that  Bastin,  who  in  many 
ways  is  so  stupid,  has  more  true  wisdom  than  I  have, 
because  he  can  believe  and  accept  without  question. 
After  all,  the  wisdom  of  my  people  is  all  of  the  universe 
and  its  wonders.  What  you  think  magic  is  not  magic; 
it  is  only  gathered  knowledge  and  the  finding  out  of 
secrets.  Bickley  will  tell  you  the  same,  although  as  yet 
he  does  not  believe  that  the  mind  of  man  can  stretch  so 
far." 

"You  mean  that  your  wisdom  has  in  it  nothing  of 
the  spirit?" 

1  Yes,  Humphrey,  that  is  what  I  mean.  I  do  not 
even  know  if  there  is  such  a  thing  as  spirit.  Our  god 
was  Fate;  Bastin's  god  is  a  spirit,  and  I  think  yours 
also." 

"  Yes." 

'Therefore,  I  wish  you  and  Bastin  to  teach  me  of 
your  god,  as  does  Oro,  my  father.  I  want — oh!  so 
much,  Humphrey,  to  learn  whether  we  live  after  death." 

"  You !  "  I  exclaimed.     "  You  who,  according  to  the 


252  When  the  World  Shook 

story,  have  slept  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
years!  You,  who  have,  unless  I  mistake,  hinted  that 
during  that  sleep  you  may  have  lived  in  other  shapes! 
Do  you  doubt  whether  we  can  live  after  death  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Sleep  induced  by  secret  arts  is  not  death,  and 
during  that  sleep  the  /  within  might  wander  and  inhabit 
other  shapes,  because  it  is  forbidden  to  be  idle.  More- 
over, what  seems  to  be  death  may  not  be  death,  only 
another  form  of  sleep  from  which  the  I  awakes  again 
upon  the  world.  But  at  last  comes  the  real  death,  when 
the  /  is  extinguished  to  the  world.  That  much  I  know, 
because  my  people  learned  it." 

"  You  mean,  you  know  that  men  and  women  may  live 
again  and  again  upon  the  world  ?  " 

"Yes,  Humphrey,  I  do.  For  in  the  world  there  is 
only  a  certain  store  of  life  which  in  many  forms  travels 
on  and  on,  till  the  lot  of  each  /  is  fulfilled.  Then  comes 
the  real  death,  and  after  that — what,  oh! — what?" 

"  You  must  ask  Bastin,"  I  said  humbly.  "  I  cannot 
dare  to  teach  of  such  matters." 

"  No,  but  you  can  and  do  believe,  and  that  helps  me, 
Humphrey,  who  am  in  tune  with  you.  Yes,  it  helps 
me  much  more  than  do  Bastin  and  his  new  religion,  be- 
cause such  is  woman's  way.  Now,  I  think  Bickley  will 
soon  return,  so  let  us  talk  of  other  matters.  Tell  me  of 
the  history  of  your  people,  Humphrey,  that  my  father 
says  are  now  at  war." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  ACCIDENT 

BICKLEY  did  return,  having  recovered  his  temper,  since 
after  all  it  was  impossible  for  anyone  to  remain  angry 
with  the  Lady  Yva  for  long,  and  we  spent  a  very  happy 
time  together.  We  instructed  and  she  was  the  humble 
pupil. 

How  swift  and  nimble  was  her  intelligence!  In  that 
one  morning  she  learned  all  our  alphabet  and  how  to 
write  our  letters.  It  appeared  that  among  her  people,  at 
any  rate  in  their  later  periods,  the  only  form  of  writing 
that  was  used  was  a  highly  concentrated  shorthand  which 
saved  labour.  They  had  no  journals,  since  news  which 
arrived  telepathically  or  by  some  form  of  wireless  was 
proclaimed  to  those  who  cared  to  listen,  and  on  it  all 
formed  their  own  judgments.  In  the  same  way  poems 
and  even  romances  were  repeated,  as  in  Homer's  day  or 
in  the  time  of  the  Norse  sagas,  by  word  of  mouth.  None 
of  their  secret  knowledge  was  written  down.  Like  the 
ritual  of  Freemasonry  it  was  considered  too  sacred. 

Moreover,  when  men  lived  for  hundreds  of  years  this 
was  not  so  necessary,  especially  as  their  great  fear  was 
lest  it  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  outside  nations, 
whom  they  called  Barbarians.  For,  be  it  remembered, 
these  Sons  of  Wisdom  were  always  a  very  small  people 
who  ruled  by  the  weight  of  their  intelligence  and  the 
strength  of  their  accumulated  lore.  Indeed,  they  could 
scarcely  be  called  a  people;  rather  were  they  a  few 
families,  all  of  them  more  or  less  connected  with  the 

253 


254  When  the  World  Shook 

original  ruling  Dynasty  which  considered  itself  half 
divine.  These  families  were  waited  upon  by  a  multitude 
of  servants  or  slaves  drawn  from  the  subject  nations, 
for  the  most  part  skilled  in  one  art  or  another,  or  per- 
haps, remarkable  for  their  personal  beauty.  Still  they 
remained  outside  the  pale. 

The  Sons  of  Wisdom  did  not  intermarry  with  them 
or  teach  them  their  learning,  or  even  allow  them  to  drink 
of  their  Life-water.  They  ruled  them  as  men  rule  dogs, 
treating  them  with  kindness,  but  no  more,  and  as 
many  dogs  run  their  course  and  die  in  the  lifetime  of 
one  master,  so  did  many  of  these  slaves  in  that  of  one 
of  the  Sons  of  Wisdom.  Therefore,  the  slaves  came  to 
regard  their  lords  not  as  men,  but  gods.  They  lived 
but  three  score  years  and  ten  like  the  rest  of  us,  and 
went  their  way,  they,  whose  great-great-grandfathers 
had  served  the  same  master  and  whose  great-great- 
great-grandchildren  would  still  serve  him.  What  should 
we  think  of  a  lord  who  we  knew  was  already  adult  in  the 
time  of  William  the  Conqueror,  and  who  remained  still 
vigorous  and  all-powerful  in  that  of  George  V?  One, 
moreover,  who  commanded  almost  infinite  knowledge  to 
which  we  were  denied  the  key?  We  might  tremble  be- 
fore him  and  look  upon  him  as  half-divine,  but  should 
we  not  long  to  kill  him  and  possess  his  knowledge  and 
thereby  prolong  our  own  existence  to  his  wondrous 
measure  ? 

Such,  said  Yva,  was  the  case  with  their  slaves  and 
the  peoples  from  whence  these  sprang.  They  grew  mad 
with  jealous  hate,  till  at  length  came  the  end  we  knew. 

Thus  we  talked  on  for  hours  till  the  time  came  for  us 
to  eat.  As  before  Yva  partook  of  fruit  and  we  of  such 
meats  as  we  had  at  hand.  These,  we  noticed,  disgusted 
her,  because,  as  she  explained,  the  Children  of  Wisdom, 


The  Accident  255 

unless  driven  thereto  by  necessity,  touched  no  flesh, 
but  lived  on  the  fruits  of  the  earth  and  wine  alone. 
Only  the  slaves  and  the  Barbarians  ate  flesh.  In  these 
views  Bickley  for  once  agreed  with  her,  that  is,  except 
as  regards  the  wine,  for  in  theory,  if  not  in  practice — he 
was  a  vegetarian. 

"  I  will  bring  you  more  of  the  Life-water,"  she  said, 
"and  then  you  will  grow  to  hate  these  dead  things,  as 
I  do.  And  now  farewell.  My  father  calls  me.  I  hear 
him  though  you  do  not.  To-morrow  I  cannot  come, 
but  the  day  after  I  will  come  and  bring  you  the  Life- 
water.  Nay,  accompany  me  not,  but  as  I  see  he  wishes 
it,  let  Tommy  go  with  me.  I  will  care  for  him,  and  he 
is  a  friend  in  all  that  lonely  place." 

So  she  went,  and  with  her  Tommy,  rejoicing. 

"Ungrateful  little  devil!"  said  Bickley.  "Here 
we've  fed  and  petted  him  from  puppyhood,  or  at  least 
you  have,  and  yet  he  skips  off  with  the  first  stranger. 
I  never  saw  him  behave  like  that  to  any  woman,  except 
your  poor  wife." 

"  I  know,"  I  answered.  "  I  cannot  understand  it. 
Hullo!  here  comes  Bastin." 

Bastin  it  was,  dishevelled  and  looking  much  the 
worse  for  wear,  also  minus  his  Bible  in  the  native 
tongue. 

"  Well,  how  have  you  been  getting  on  ? "  said 
Bickley. 

"  I  should  like  some  tea,  also  anything  there  is  to 
eat." 

We  supplied  him  with  these  necessaries,  and  after  a 
while  he  said  slowly  and  solemnly : 

"  I  cannot  help  thinking  of  a  childish  story  which 
Bickley  told  or  invented  one  night  at  your  house  at  home. 
I  remember  he  had  an  argument  with  my  wife,  which 


256  When  the  World  Shook 

he  said  put  him  in  mind  of  it,  I  am  sure  I  don't  know 
why.  It  was  about  a  monkey  and  a  parrot  that  were 
left  together  under  a  sofa  for  a  long  while,  where  they 
were  so  quiet  that  everybody  forgot  them.  Then  the 
parrot  came  out  with  only  one  feather  left  in  its  tail 
and  none  at  all  on  its  body,  saying,  '  I've  had  no  end  of 
a  time ! '  after  which  it  dropped  down  and  died.  Do  you 
know,  I  feel  just  like  that  parrot,  only  I  don't  mean 
to  die,  and  I  think  I  gave  the  monkey  quite  as  good  as 
he  gave  me !  " 

"  What  happened?  "  I  asked,  intensely  interested. 

"  Oh !  the  Glittering  Lady  took  me  into  that  palace 
hall  where  Oro  was  sitting  like  a  spider  in  a  web,  and 
left  me  there.  I  got  to  work  at  once.  He  was  much 
interested  in  the  Old  Testament  stories  and  said  there 
were  points  of  truth  about  them,  although  they  had 
evidently  come  down  to  the  modern  writer — he  called 
him  a  modern  writer — in  a  legendary  form.  I  thought 
his  remarks  impertinent  and  with  difficulty  refrained 
from  saying  so.  Leaving  the  story  of  the  Deluge  and 
all  that,  I  spoke  of  other  matters,  telling  him  of  eternal 
life  and  Heaven  and  Hell,  of  which  the  poor  benighted 
man  had  never  heard.  I  pointed  out  especially  that  un- 
less he  repented,  his  life,  by  all  accounts,  had  been  so 
wicked,  that  he  was  certainly  destined  to  the  latter 
place." 

"  What  did  he  say  to  that?  "  I  asked. 

"  Do  you  know,  I  think  it  frightened  him,  if  one 
could  imagine  Oro  being  frightened.  At  any  rate  he 
remarked  that  the  truth  or  falsity  of  what  I  said  was  an 
urgent  matter  for  him,  as  he  could  not  expect  to  live 
more  than  a  few  hundred  years  longer,  though  perhaps 
he  might  prolong  the  period  by  another  spell  of  sleep. 
Then  he  asked  me  why  I  thought  him  so  wicked.  I 


The  Accident  257 

replied  because  he  himself  said  that  he  had  drowned 
millions  of  people,  which  showed  an  evil  heart  and  in- 
tention even  if  it  were  not  a  fact.  He  thought  a  long 
while  and  asked  what  could  be  done  in  the  circum- 
stances. I  replied  that  repentance  and  reparation  were 
the  only  courses  open  to  him." 

"  Reparation !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,  reparation  was  what  I  said,  though  I  think  I 
made  a  mistake  there,  as  you  will  see.  As  nearly  as  I 
can  remember,  he  answered  that  he  was  beginning  to 
repent,  as  from  all  he  had  learned  from  us,  he  gathered 
that  the  races  which  had  arisen  as  a  consequence  of  his 
action,  were  worse  than  those  which  he  had  destroyed. 
As  regards  reparation,  what  he  had  done  once  he  could 
do  again.  He  would  think  the  matter  over  seriously, 
and  see  if  it  were  possible  and  advisable  to  raise  those 
parts  of  the  world  which  had  been  sunk,  and  sink  those 
which  had  been  raised.  If  so,  he  thought  that  would 
make  very  handsome  amends  to  the  departed  nations 
and  set  him  quite  right  with  any  superior  Power,  if  such 
a  thing  existed.  What  are  you  laughing  at,  Bickley? 
I  don't  think  it  a  laughing  matter,  since  such  remarks 
do  not  seem  to  me  to  indicate  any  real  change  in  Oro's 
heart,  which  is  what  I  was  trying  to  effect." 

Bickley,  who  was  convulsed  with  merriment,  wiped  his 
eyes  and  said: 

"  You  dear  old  donkey,  don't  you  see  what  you  have 
done,  or  rather  would  have  done  if  there  were  a  word  of 
truth  in  all  this  ridiculous  story  about  a  deluge?  You 
would  be  in  the  way  of  making  your  precious  pupil, 
who  certainly  is  the  most  masterly  old  liar  in  the  world, 
repeat  his  offence  and  send  Europe  to  the  bottom  of  the 
sea." 

"That  did  occur  to  me,  but  it  doesn't  much  matter 


258  When  the  World  Shook 

as  I  am  quite  certain  that  such  a  thing  would  never  be 
allowed.  Of  course  there  was  a  real  deluge  once,  but 
Oro  had  no  more  to  do  with  it  than  I  had.  Don't  you 
agree,  Arbuthnot?" 

"  I  think  so,"  I  answered  cautiously,  "  but  really  in 
this  place  I  am  beginning  to  lose  count  of  what  is  or  is 
not  possible.  Also,  of  course,  there  may  have  been  many 
deluges;  indeed  the  history  of  the  world  shows  that  this 
was  so;  it  is  written  in  its  geological  strata.  What  was 
the  end  of  it?" 

"  The  end  was  that  he  took  the  South  Sea  Bible  and, 
after  I  had  explained  a  little  about  our  letters,  seemed 
to  be  able  to  read  it  at  once.  I  suppose  he  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  art  of  printing  in  his  youth.  At  any 
rate  he  said  that  he  would  study  it,  I  don't  know  how, 
unless  he  can  read,  and  that  in  two  days'  time  he  would 
let  me  know  what  he  thought  about  the  matter  of  my 
religion.  Then  he  told  me  to  go.  I  said  that  I  did  not 
know  the  way  and  was  afraid  of  losing  myself.  There- 
upon he  waved  his  hand,  and  I  really  can't  say  what 
happened." 

"  Did  you  levitate  up  here,"  asked  Bickley,  "  like  the 
late  lamented  Mr.  Home  at  the  spiritualistic  seances  ?  " 

"  No,  I  did  not  exactly  levitate,  but  something  or 
someone  seemed  to  get  a  hold  of  me,  and  I  was  just 
rushed  along  in  a  most  tumultuous  fashion.  The  next 
thing  I  knew  was  that  I  was  standing  at  the  door  of  that 
sepulchre,  though  I  have  no  recollection  of  going  up  in 
the  lift,  or  whatever  it  is.  I  believe  those  beastly  caves 
are  full  of  ghosts,  or  devils,  and  the  worst  of  it  is  that 
they  have  kept  my  solar-tope,  which  I  put  on  this  morn- 
ing forgetting  that  it  would  be  useless  there." 

"  The  Lady  Yva's  Fourth  Dimension  in  action,"  I 
suggested,  "  only  it  wouldn't  work  on  solar-topes." 


The  Accident  259 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about,"  said 
Bastin,  "  but  if  my  hat  had  to  be  left,  why  not  my  boots 
and  other  garments?  Please  stop  your  nonsense  and 
pass  the  tea.  Thank  goodness  I  haven't  got  to  go  down 
there  to-morrow,  as  he  seems  to  have  had  enough  of  me 
for  the  present,  so  I  vote  we  all  pay  a  visit  to  the  ship. 
It  will  be  a  very  pleasant  change.  I  couldn't  stand  two 
days  running  with  that  old  fiend,  and  his  ghosts  or  devils 
in  the  cave." 

Next  morning  accordingly,  fearing  no  harm  from  the 
Orofenans,  we  took  the  canoe  and  rowed  to  the  main 
island.  Marama  had  evidently  seen  us  coming,  for  he 
and  a  number  of  his  people  met  us  with  every  demon- 
stration of  delight,  and  escorted  us  to  the  ship.  Here 
we  found  things  just  as  we  had  left  them,  for  there  had 
been  no  attempt  at  theft  or  other  mischief. 

While  we  were  in  the  cabin  a  fit  of  moral  weakness 
seemed  to  overcome  Bickley,  the  first  and  I  may  add 
the  last  from  which  I  ever  saw  him  suffer. 

"  Do  you  know,"  he  said,  addressing  us,  "  I  think  that 
we  should  do  well  to  try  to  get  out  of  this  place. 
Eliminating  a  great  deal  of  the  marvellous  with  which 
we  seem  to  have  come  in  touch  here,  it  is  still  obvious 
that  we  find  ourselves  in  very  peculiar  and  unhealthy 
surroundings.  I  mean  mentally  unhealthy,  indeed  I  think 
that  if  we  stay  here  much  longer  we  shall  probably  go 
off  our  heads.  Now  that  boat  on  the  deck  remains 
sound  and  seaworthy.  Why  should  not  we  provision 
her  and  take  our  chance  ?  We  know  more  or  less  which 
way  to  steer." 

Bastin  and  I  looked  at  each  other.  It  was  he  who 
spoke  first. 

"Wouldn't   it   be    rather   a    risky   job   in   an   open 


260  When  the  World  Shook 

t 

boat  ?  "  he  asked.  "  However,  that  doesn't  matter  much 
because  I  don't  take  any  account  of  risks,  knowing  that 
I  am  of  more  value  than  a  sparrow  and  that  the  hairs  of 
my  head  are  all  numbered." 

"They  might  be  numbered  under  water  as  well  as 
above  it,"  muttered  Bickley,  "  and  I  feel  sure  that  on 
your  own  showing,  you  would  be  as  valuable  dead  as 
alive." 

"What  I  seem  to  feel,"  went  on  Bastin,  "is  that  I 
have  work  to  my  hand  here.  Also,  the  locum  tenens 
at  Fulcombe  no  doubt  runs  the  parish  as  well  as  I  could. 
Indeed  I  consider  him  a  better  man  for  the  place  than 
I  am.  That  old  Oro  is  a  tough  proposition,  but  I  do 
not  despair  of  him  yet,  and  besides  him  there  is  the 
Glittering  Lady,  a  most  open-minded  person,  whom  I 
have  not  yet  had  any  real  opportunity  of  approaching 
in  a  spiritual  sense.  Then  there  are  all  these  natives 
who  cannot  learn  without  a  teacher.  So  on  the  whole  I 
think  I  would  rather  stay  where  I  am  until  Providence 
points  out  some  other  path." 

"  I  am  of  the  same  opinion,  if  for  somewhat  different 
reasons,"  I  said.  "  I  do  not  suppose  that  it  has  often 
been  the  fortune  of  men  to  come  in  touch  with  such 
things  as  we  have  found  upon  this  island.  They  may 
be  illusions,  but  at  least  they  are  very  interesting 
illusions.  One  might  live  ten  lifetimes  and  find  nothing 
else  of  the  sort.  Therefore  I  should  like  to  see  the  end 
of  the  dream." 

Bickley  reflected  a  little,  then  said : 

"  On  the  whole  I  agree  with  you.  Only  my  brain 
totters  and  I  am  terribly  afraid  of  madness.  I  cannot 
believe  what  I  seem  to  hear  and  see,  and  that  way 
madness  lies.  It  is  better  to  die  than  to  go  mad." 

"  You'll    do   that   anyway   when   your   time   comes, 


The  Accident  261 

Bickley,  I  mean  decease,  of  course,  interrupted 
Bastin.  "  And  who  knows,  perhaps  all  this  is  an 
opportunity  given  by  Providence  to  open  your  eyes, 
which,  I  must  say,  are  singularly  blind.  You  think 
you  know  everything  there  is  to  learn,  but  the  fact  is 
that  like  the  rest  of  us,  you  know  nothing  at  all,  and 
good  man  though  you  are,  obstinately  refuse  to  admit 
the  truth  and  to  seek  support  elsewhere.  For  my  part  I 
believe  that  you  are  afraid  of  falling  in  love  with  that 
Glittering  Lady  and  of  being  convinced  by  her  that  you 
are  wrong  in  your  most  unsatisfactory  conclusions." 

"I  am  out-voted  anyway,"  said  Bickley,  "and  for 
the  rest,  Bastin,  look  after  yourself  and  leave  me  alone. 
I  will  add  that  on  the  whole  I  think  you  are  both  right, 
and  that  it  is  wisest  for  us  to  stop  where  we  are,  for 
after  all  we  can  only  die  once." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure,  Bickley.  There  is  a  thing  called 
the  second  death,  which  is  what  is  troubling  that  old 
scoundrel,  Oro.  Now  I  will  go  and  look  for  those 
books." 

So  the  idea  of  flight  was  abandoned,  although  I 
admit  that  even  to  myself  it  had  attractions.  For  I 
felt  that  I  was  being  wrapped  in  a  net  of  mysteries  from 
which  I  saw  no  escape.  Yes,  and  of  more  than 
mysteries;  I  who  had  sworn  that  I  would  never  look 
upon  another  woman,  was  learning  to  love  this  sweet 
and  wondrous  Yva,  and  of  that  what  could  be  the 
end? 

We  collected  all  we  had  come  to  seek,  and  started 
homewards  escorted  by  Marama  and  his  people,  in- 
cluding a  number  of  young  women  who  danced  before 
us  in  a  light  array  of  flowers. 

Passing  our  old  house,  we  came  to  the  grove  where 


262  When  the  World  Shook 

the  idol  Oro  had  stood  and  Bastin  was  so  nearly 
sacrificed.  There  was  another  idol  there  now  which  he 
wished  to  examine,  but  in  the  end  did  not  as  the  natives 
so  obviously  objected.  Indeed  Marama  told  me  that 
notwithstanding  the  mysterious  death  of  the  sorcerers 
on  the  Rock  of  Offerings,  there  was  still  a  strong  party 
in  the  island  who  would  be  glad  to  do  us  a  mischief  if 
any  further  affront  were  offered  to  their  hereditary  god. 

He  questioned  us  also  tentatively  about  the  appari- 
tion, for  such  he  conceived  it  to  be,  which  had  appeared 
upon  the  rock  and  killed  the  sorcerers,  and  I  answered 
him  as  I  thought  wisest,  telling  him  that  a  terrible 
Power  was  afoot  in  the  land,  which  he  would  do  well 
to  obey. 

"  Yes,"  he  said ;  "  the  God  of  the  Mountain  of  whom 
the  tradition  has  come  down  to  us  from  our  forefathers. 
He  is  awake  again;  he  sees,  he  hears  and  we  are  afraid. 
Plead  with  him  for  us,  O  Friend-from-the-Sea." 

As  he  spoke  we  were  passing  through  a  little  patch 
of  thick  bush.  Suddenly  from  out  of  this  bush,  I  saw 
a  lad  appear.  He  wore  a  mask  upon  his  face,  but  from 
his  shape  could  not  have  been  more  than  thirteen  or 
fourteen  years  of  age.  In  his  hand  was  a  wooden  club. 
He  ran  forward,  stopped,  and  with  a  yell  of  hate  hurled 
it,  I  think  at  Bastin,  but  it  hit  me.  At  any  rate  I  felt  a 
shock  and  remembered  no  more. 

Dreams.  Dreams.  Endless  dreams!  What  were 
they  all  about?  I  do  not  know.  It  seemed  to  me  that 
through  them  continually  I  saw  the  stately  figure  of 
old  Oro  contemplating  me  gravely,  as  though  he  were 
making  up  his  mind  about  something  in  which  I  must 
play  a  part.  Then  there  was  another  figure,  that  of  the 
gracious  but  imperial  Yva,  who  from  time  to  time,  as  I 


The  Accident  263 

thought,  leant  over  me  and  whispered  in  my  ear  words 
of  rest  and  comfort.  Nor  was  this  all,  since  her  shape 
had  a  way  of  changing  suddenly  into  that  of  my  lost 
wife  who  would  speak  with  her  voice.  Or  perhaps  my 
wife  would  speak  with  Yva's  voice.  To  my  disordered 
sense  it  was  as  though  they  were  one  personality, 
having  two  shapes,  either  of  which  could  be  assumed 
at  will.  It  was  most  strange  and  yet  to  me  most  blessed, 
since  in  the  living  I  seemed  to  have  found  the  dead,  and 
in  the  dead  the  living.  More,  I  took  journeys,  or  rather 
some  unknown  part  of  me  seemed  to  do  so.  One  of 
these  I  remember,  for  its  majestic  character  stamped 
itself  upon  my  mind  in  such  a  fashion  that  all  the 
waters  of  delirium  could  not  wash  it  out  nor  all  its 
winds  blow  away  that  memory. 

I  was  travelling  through  space  with  Yva  a  thousand 
times  faster  than  light  can  flash.  We  passed  sun  after 
sun.  They  drew  near,  they  grew  into  enormous,  flam- 
ing Glories  round  which  circled  world  upon  world. 
They  became  small,  dwindled  to  points  of  light  and 
disappeared. 

We  found  footing  upon  some  far  land  and  passed  a 
marvellous  white  city  wherein  were  buildings  with 
domes  of  crystal  and  alabaster,  in  the  latter  of  which 
were  set  windows  made  of  great  jewels;  sapphires  or 
rubies  they  seemed  to  me.  We  went  on  up  a  lovely 
valley.  To  the  left  were  hills,  down  which  tumbled 
waterfalls ;  to  the  right  was  a  river  broad  and  deep  that 
seemed  to  overflow  its  banks  as  does  the  Nile.  Behind 
were  high  mountains  on  the  slopes  of  which  grew 
forests  of  glorious  trees,  some  of  them  aflame  with 
bloom,  while  far  away  up  their  crests  stood  colossal 
golden  statues  set  wide  apart.  They  looked  like 
guardian  angels  watching  that  city  and  that  vale.  The 


264  When  the  World  Shook 

land  was  lit  with  a  light  such  as  that  of  the  moon,  only 
intensified  and  of  many  colours.  Indeed  looking  up,  I 
saw  that  above  us  floated  three  moons,  each  of  them 
bigger  than  our  own  at  the  full,  and  gathered  that 
here  it  was  night. 

We  came  to  a  house  set  amid  scented  gardens  and 
having  in  front  of  it  terraces  of  flowers.  It  seemed  not 
unlike  my  own  house  at  home,  but  I  took  little  note  of 
it,  because  of  a  woman  who  sat  upon  the  verandah,  if  I 
may  call  it  so.  She  was  clad  in  garments  of  white  silk 
fastened  about  her  middle  with  a  jewelled  girdle.  On 
her  neck  also  was  a  collar  of  jewels.  I  forget  the  colour; 
indeed  this  seemed  to  change  continually  as  the  light 
from  the  different  moons  struck  when  she  moved,  but  I 
think  its  prevailing  tinge  was  blue.  In  her  arms  this 
woman  nursed  a  beauteous,  sleeping  child,  singing 
happily  as  she  rocked  it  to  and  fro.  Yva  went  towards 
the  woman  who  looked  up  at  her  step  and  uttered  a 
little  cry.  Then  for  the  first  time  I  saw  the  woman's 
face.  It  was  that  of  my  dead  wife ! 

As  I  followed  in  my  dream,  a  little  cloud  of  mist 
seemed  to  cover  both  my  wife  and  Yva,  and  when  I 
reached  the  place  Yva  was  gone.  Only  my  wife  re- 
mained, she  and  the  child.  There  she  stood,  solemn 
and  sweet.  While  I  drew  near  she  laid  down  the  child 
upon  the  cushioned  seat  from  which  she  had  risen. 
She  stretched  out  her  arms  and  flung  them  about  me. 
She  embraced  me  and  I  embraced  her  in  a  rapture  of 
reunion.  Then  turning  she  lifted  up  the  child,  it  was 
a  girl,  for  me  to  kiss. 

"  See  your  daughter,"  she  said,  "  and  behold  all  that 
I  am  making  ready  for  you  where  we  shall  dwell  in  a 
day  to  come." 


The  Accident  265 

I  grew  confused. 

"  Yva,"  I  said.  "  Where  is  Yva  who  brought  me 
here  ?  Did  she  go  into  the  house  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  answered  happily.  "  Yva  went  into  the 
house.  Look  again !  " 

I  looked  and  it  was  Yva's  face  that  was  pressed 
against  my  own,  and  Yva's  eyes  that  gazed  into  mine. 
Only  she  was  garbed  as  my  wife  had  been,  and  on  her 
bosom  hung  the  changeful  necklace. 

"You  may  not  stay,"  she  whispered,  and  lo!  it  was 
my  wife  that  spoke,  not  Yva. 

"  Tell  me  what  it  means?  "  I  implored. 

"  I  cannot,"  she  answered.  "  There  are  mysteries 
that  you  may  not  know  as  yet.  Love  Yva  if  you  will 
and  I  shall  not  be  jealous,  for  in  loving  Yva  you  love 
me.  You  cannot  understand?  Then  know  this,  that 
the  spirit  has  many  shapes,  and  yet  is  the  same  spirit — 
sometimes.  Now  I  who  am  far,  yet  near,  bid  you 
farewell  a  while." 

Then  all  passed  in  a  flash  and  the  dream  ended. 

Such  was  the  only  one  of  those  visions  which  I  can 
recall. 

I  seemed  to  wake  up  as  from  a  long  and  tumultuous 
sleep.  The  first  thing  I  saw  was  the  palm  roof  of  our 
house  upon  the  rock.  I  knew  it  was  our  house,  for  just 
above  me  was  a  palm  leaf  of  which  I  had  myself  tied 
the  stalk  to  the  framework  with  a  bit  of  coloured  ribbon 
that  I  had  chanced  to  find  in  my  pocket.  It  came 
originally  from  the  programme  card  of  a  dance  that  I 
had  attended  at  Honolulu  and  I  had  kept  it  because  I 
thought  it  might  be  useful.  Finally  I  used  it  to  secure 
that  loose  leaf.  I  stared  at  the  ribbon  which  brought 


266  When  the  World  Shook 

back  a  flood  of  memories,  and  as  I  was  thus  engaged  I 
heard  voices  talking,  and  listened — Bickley's  voice,  and 
the  Lady  Yva's. 

"  Yes,"  Bickley  was  saying,  "  he  will  do  well  now, 
but  he  went  near,  very  near." 

"  I  knew  he  would  not  die,"  she  answered,  "  because 
my  father  said  so." 

"  There  are  two  sorts  of  deaths,"  replied  Bickley, 
"  that  of  the  body  and  that  of  the  mind.  I  was  afraid 
that  even  if  he  lived,  his  reason  would  go,  but  from 
certain  indications  I  do  not  think  that  will  happen  now. 

He  will  get  quite  well  again — though "  and  he 

stopped. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,"  chimed  in 
Bastin.  "  For  weeks  I  thought  that  I  should  have  to 
read  the  Burial  Service  over  poor  Arbuthnot.  Indeed  I 
was  much  puzzled  as  to  the  best  place  to  bury  him.  Fin- 
ally I  found  a  very  suitable  spot  round  the  corner  there, 
where  it  isn't  rock,  in  which  one  can't  dig  and  the  soil  is 
not  liable  to  be  flooded.  In  fact  I  went  so  far  as  to  clear 
away  the  bush  and  to  mark  out  the  grave  with  its  foot 
to  the  east.  In  this  climate  one  can't  delay,  you  know." 

Weak  as  I  was,  I  smiled.  This  practical  proceeding 
was  so  exactly  like  Bastin. 

"Well,  you  wasted  your  labour,"  exclaimed  Bickley. 

"Yes,  I  am  glad  to  say  I  did.  But  I  don't  think  it 
was  your  operations  and  the  rest  that  cured  him, 
Bickley,  although  you  take  all  the  credit.  I  believe  it 
was  the  Life-water  that  the  Lady  Yva  made  him  drink 
and  the  stuff  that  Oro  sent  which  we  gave  him  when  you 
weren't  looking." 

"  Then  I  hope  that  in  the  future  you  will  not  inter- 
fere with  my  cases,"  said  the  indignant  Bickley,  and 
either  the  voices  passed  away  or  I  went  to  sleep. 


The  Accident  267 

When  I  woke  up  again  it  was  to  find  the  Lady  Yva 
seated  at  my  side  watching  me. 

"Forgive  me,  Humphrey,  because  I  here;  others 
gone  out  walking,"  she  said  slowly  in  English. 

"  Who  taught  you  my  language  ? "  I  asked,  aston- 
ished. 

"  Bastin  and  Bickley,  while  you  ill,  they  teach ;  they 
teach  me  much.  Man  just  same  now  as  he  was  hundred 
thousand  years  ago,"  she  added  enigmatically.  "  All 
think  one  woman  beautiful  when  no  other  woman 
there." 

"  Indeed,"  I  replied,  wondering  to  what  proceedings 
on  the  part  of  Bastin  and  Bickley  she  alluded.  Could 
that  self-centred  pair — oh!  it  was  impossible. 

"  How  long  have  I  been  ill  ?  "  I  asked  to  escape  the 
subject  which  I  felt  to  be  uncomfortable. 

She  lifted  her  beautiful  eyes  in  search  of  words  and 
began  to  count  upon  her  fingers. 

"  Two  moon,  one  half  moon,  yes,  ten  week,  counting 
Sabbath,"  she  answered  triumphantly. 

"  Ten  weeks !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,  Humphrey,  ten  whole  weeks  and  three  days 
you  first  bad,  then  mad.  Oh ! "  she  went  on,  breaking 
into  the  Orofenan  tongue  which  she  spoke  so  perfectly, 
although  it  was  not  her  own.  That  language  of  hers  I 
never  learned,  but  I  know  she  thought  in  it  and  only 
translated  into  Orofenan,  because  of  the  great  difficulty 
which  she  had  in  rendering  her  high  and  refined  ideas 
into  its  simpler  metaphor,  and  the  strange  words  which 
often  she  introduced.  "Oh!  you  have  been  very  ill, 
friend  of  my  heart.  At  times  I  thought  that  you  were 
going  to  die,  and  wept  and  wept.  Bickley  thinks  that 
he  saved  you  and  he  is  very  clever.  But  he  could  not 
have  saved  you;  that  wanted  more  knowledge  than  any 


268  When  the  World  Shook 

of  your  people  have ;  only  I  pray  you,  do  not  tell  him  so 
because  it  would  hurt  his  pride." 

"  What  was  the  matter  with  me  then,  Yva?  " 

"  All  was  the  matter.  First,  the  weapon  which  that 
youth  threw — he  was  the  son  of  the  sorcerer  whom  my 
father  destroyed — crushed  in  the  bone  of  your  head. 
He  is  dead  for  his  crime  and  may  he  be  accursed  for 
ever,"  she  added  in  the  only  outbreak  of  rage  and  vin- 
dictiveness  in  which  I  ever  saw  her  indulge. 

"  One  must  make  excuses  for  him ;  his  father  had 
been  killed,"  I  said. 

"  Yes,  that  is  what  Bastin  tells  me,  and  it  is  true. 
Still,  for  that  young  man  I  can  make  no  excuse;  it  was 
cowardly  and  wicked.  Well,  Bickley  performed  what 
he  calls  operation,  and  the  Lord  Oro,  he  came  up  from 
his  house  and  helped  him,  because  Bastin  is  no  good  in 
such  things.  Then  he  can  only  turn  away  his  head  and 
pray.  I,  too,  helped,  holding  hot  water  and  linen  and 
jar  of  the  stuff  that  made  you  feel  like  nothing,  although 
the  sight  made  me  feel  more  sick  than  anything  since 
I  saw  one  I  loved  killed,  oh,  long,  long  ago." 

"Was  the  operation  successful?"  I  asked,  for  I  did 
not  dare  to  begin  to  thank  her. 

"Yes,  that  clever  man,  Bickley,  lifted  the  bone 
which  had  been  crushed  in.  Only  then  something 
broke  in  your  head  and  you  began  to  bleed  here,"  and 
she  touched  what  I  believe  is  called  the  temporal  artery. 
"  The  vein  had  been  crushed  by  the  blow,  and  gave 
way.  Bickley  worked  and  worked,  and  just  in  time  he 
tied  it  up  before  you  died.  Oh!  then  I  felt  as  though  I 
loved  Bickley,  though  afterwards  Bastin  said  that  I 
ought  to  have  loved  him,  since  it  was  not  Bickley  who 
stopped  the  bleeding,  but  his  prayer." 


The  Accident  269 

"  Perhaps  it  was  both,"  I  suggested. 

"  Perhaps,  Humphrey,  at  least  you  were  saved. 
Then  came  another  trouble.  You  took  fever.  Bickley 
said  that  it  was  because  a  certain  gnat  had  bitten  you 
when  you  went  down  to  the  ship,  and  my  father,  the 
Lord  Oro,  told  me  that  this  was  right.  At  the  least 
you  grew  very  weak  and  lost  your  mind,  and  it  seemed 
as  though  you  must  die.  Then,  Humphrey,  I  went  to 
the  Lord  Oro  and  kneeled  before  him  and  prayed  your 
life,  for  I  knew  that  he  could  cure  you  if  he  would, 
though  Bickley's  skill  was  at  an  end. 

" '  Daughter,'  he  said  to  me,  '  not  once  but  again 
and  again  you  have  set  up  your  will  against  mine  in 
the  past.  Why  then  should  I  trouble  myself  to  grant 
this  desire  of  yours  in  the  present,  and  save  a  man  who 
is  nothing  to  me  ?  ' 

"  I  rose  to  my  feet  and  answered,  *  I  do  not  know, 
my  Father,  yet  I  am  certain  that  for  your  own  sake  it 
will  be  well  to  do  so.  I  am  sure  that  of  everything  even 
you  must  give  an  account  at  last,  great  though  you  be, 
and  who  knows,  perhaps  one  life  which  you  have  saved 
may  turn  the  balance  in  your  favour.' 

"  *  Surely  the  priest  Bastin  has  been  talking  to  you/ 
he  said. 

"  '  He  has,'  I  answered,  '  and  not  he  alone.  Many 
voices  have  been  talking  to  me. ' 

"  What  did  you  mean  by  that?  "  I  asked. 

"  It  matters  nothing  what  I  meant,  Humphrey.  Be 
still  and  listen  to  my  story.  My  father  thought  a  while 
and  answered : 

" '  I  am  jealous  of  this  stranger.  What  is  he  but  a 
short-lived  half-barbarian  such  as  we  knew  in  the  old 
days?  And  yet  already  you  think  more  of  him  than 
you  do  of  me,  your  father,  the  divine  Oro  who  has  lived 


270  When  the  World  Shook 

a  thousand  years.  At  first  I  helped  that  physician  to 
save  him,  but  now  I  think  I  wish  him  dead.' 

" '  If  you  let  this  man  die,  my  Father,'  I  answered, 
'then  we  part.  Remember  that  I  also  have  of  the 
wisdom  of  our  people,  and  can  use  it  if  I  will.' 

"  '  Then  save  him  yourself,'  he  said. 

" '  Perhaps  I  shall,  my  Father,'  I  answered,  '  but  if  so 
it  will  not  be  here.  I  say  that  if  so  we  part  and  you 
shall  be  left  to  rule  in  your  majesty  alone.' 

"  Now  this  frightened  the  Lord  Oro,  for  he  has  the 
weakness  that  he  hates  to  be  alone. 

" '  If  I  do  what  you  will,  do  you  swear  never  to  leave 
me,  Yva? '  he  asked.  '  Know  that  if  you  will  not 
swear,  the  man  dies/ 

"  '  I  swear,'  I  answered — for  your  sake,  Humphrey — 
though  I  did  not  love  the  oath. 

"  Then  he  gave  me  a  certain  medicine  to  mix  with 
the  Life- water,  and  when  you  were  almost  gone  that 
medicine  cured  you,  though  Bickley  does  not  know  it, 
as  nothing  else  could  have  done.  Now  I  have  told  you 
the  truth,  for  your  own  ear  only,  Humphrey." 

"  Yva,"  I  asked,  "  why  did  you  do  all  this  for  me?  " 

"  Humphrey,  I  do  not  know,"  she  answered,  "  but  I 
think  because  I  must.  Now  sleep  a  while." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE   PROPOSALS   OF   BASTIN   AND   BICKLEY 

So  far  as  my  body  was  concerned  I  grew  well  with 
great  rapidity,  though  it  was  long  before  I  got  back  my 
strength.  Thus  I  could  not  walk  far  or  endure  any 
sustained  exertion.  With  my  mind  it  was  otherwise. 
I  cannot  explain  what  had  happened  to  it;  indeed  I  do 
not  know,  but  in  a  sense  it  seemed  to  have  become 
detached  and  to  have  assumed  a  kind  of  personality  of 
its  own.  At  times  it  felt  as  though  it  were  no  longer  an 
inhabitant  of  the  body,  but  rather  its  more  or  less  in- 
dependent partner.  I  was  perfectly  clear-headed  and 
of  insanity  I  experienced  no  symptoms.  Yet  my  mind, 
I  use  that  term  from  lack  of  a  better,  was  not  entirely 
under  my  control.  For  one  thing,  at  night  it  appeared 
to  wander  far  away,  though  whither  it  went  and  what 
it  saw  there  I  could  never  remember. 

I  record  this  because  possibly  it  explains  certain 
mysterious  events,  if  they  were  events  and  not  dreams, 
which  shortly  I  must  set  out.  I  spoke  to  Bickley  about 
the  matter.  He  put  it  by  lightly,  saying  that  it  was 
only  a  result  of  my  long  and  most  severe  illness  and 
that  I  should  steady  down  in  time,  especially  if  we 
could  escape  from  that  island  and  its  unnatural  atmos- 
phere. Yet  as  he  spoke  he  glanced  at  me  shrewdly  with 
his  quick  eyes,  and  when  he  turned  to  go  away  I  heard 
him  mutter  something  to  himself  about  "  unholy  in- 
fluences "  and  "  that  confounded  old  Oro." 

The  words  were  spoken  to  himself  and  quite  beneath 

871 


272  When  the  World  Shook 

his  breath,  and  of  course  not  meant  to  reach  me.  But 
one  of  the  curious  concomitants  of  my  state  was  that  all 
my  senses,  and  especially  my  hearing,  had  become 
most  abnormally  acute.  A  whisper  far  away  was  now 
to  me  like  a  loud  remark  made  in  a  room. 

Bickley's  reflection,  for  I  can  scarcely  call  it  more, 
set  me  thinking.  Yva  had  said  that  Oro  sent  me 
medicine  which  was  administered  to  me  without  Bick- 
ley's knowledge,  and  as  she  believed,  saved  my  life,  or 
certainly  my  reason.  What  was  in  it?  I  wondered. 
Then  there  was  that  Life-water  which  Yva  brought  and 
insisted  upon  my  drinking  every  day.  Undoubtedly  it 
was  a  marvellous  tonic  and  did  me  good.  But  it  had 
other  effects  also.  Thus,  as  she  said  would  be  the  case, 
after  a  course  of  it  I  conceived  the  greatest  dislike, 
which  I  may  add  has  never  entirely  left  me,  of  any  form 
of  meat,  also  of  alcohol.  All  I  seemed  to  want  was  this 
water  with  fruit,  or  such  native  vegetables  as  there  were. 
Bickley  disapproved  and  made  me  eat  fish  occasionally, 
but  even  this  revolted  me,  and  since  I  gained  steadily 
in  weight,  as  we  found  out  by  a  simple  contrivance,  and 
remained  healthy  in  every  other  way,  soon  he  allowed 
me  to  choose  my  own  diet. 

About  this  time  Oro  began  to  pay  me  frequent  visits. 
He  always  came  at  night,  and  what  is  more  I  knew  when 
he  was  coming,  although  he  never  gave  me  warning. 
Here  I  should  explain  that  during  my  illness  Bastin, 
who  was  so  ingenious  in  such  matters,  had  built  another 
hut  in  which  he  and  Bickley  slept,  of  course  when  they 
were  not  watching  me,  leaving  our  old  bed-chamber  to 
myself. 

Well,  I  would  wake  up  and  be  aware  that  Oro  was 
coming.  Then  he  appeared  in  a  silent  and  mysterious 
way,  as  though  he  had  materialised  in  the  room,  for  I 


The  Proposals  of  Bastin  and  Bickley    273 

never  saw  him  pass  the  doorway.  In  the  moonlight,  or 
the  starlight,  which  flowed  through  the  entrance  and 
the  side  of  the  hut  that  was  only  enclosed  with  lattice- 
work, I  perceived  him  seat  himself  upon  a  certain  stool, 
looking  like  a  most  majestic  ghost  with  his  flowing 
robes,  long  white  beard,  hooked  nose  and  hawk  eyes. 
In  the  day-time  he  much  resembled  the  late  General 
Booth  whom  I  had  often  seen,  except  for  certain  added 
qualities  of  height  and  classic  beauty  of  countenance. 
At  night,  however,  he  resembled  no  one  but  himself, 
indeed  there  was  something  mighty  and  godlike  in  his 
appearance,  something  that  made  one  feel  that  he  was 
not  as  are  other  men. 

For  a  while  he  would  sit  and  look  at  me.  Then  he 
began  to  speak  in  a  low,  vibrant  voice.  What  did  he 
speak  of?  Well,  many  matters.  It  was  as  though  he 
were  unburdening  that  hoary  soul  of  his  because  it 
could  no  longer  endure  the  grandeur  of  its  own  loneli- 
ness. Amongst  sundry  secret  things,  he  told  me  of  the 
past  history  of  this  world  of  ours,  and  of  the  mighty 
civilisations  which  for  uncounted  ages  he  and  his  fore- 
fathers had  ruled  by  the  strength  of  their  will  and  know- 
ledge, of  the  dwindling  of  their  race  and  of  the  final 
destruction  of  its  enemies,  although  I  noticed  that  now  he 
no  longer  said  that  this  was  his  work  alone.  One  night 
I  asked  him  if  he  did  not  miss  all  such  pomp  and  power. 

Then  suddenly  he  broke  out,  and  for  the  first  time 
I  really  learned  what  ambition  can  be  when  it  utterly 
possesses  the  soul  of  man. 

"  Are  you  mad,"  he  asked,  "  that  you  suppose  that  I, 
Oro,  the  King  of  kings,  can  be  content  to  dwell  solitary 
in  a  great  cave  with  none  but  the  shadows  of  the  dead 
to  serve  me?  Nay,  I  must  rule  again  and  be  even 
greater  than  before,  or  else  I  too  will  die.  Better  to 


274  When  the  World  Shook 

face  the  future,  even  if  it  means  oblivion,  than  to  remain 
thus  a  relic  of  a  glorious  past,  still  living  and  yet  dead, 
like  that  statue  of  the  great  god  Fate  which  you  saw  in 
the  temple  of  my  worship." 

"  Bastin  does  not  think  that  the  future  means 
oblivion,"  I  remarked. 

"  I  know  it.  I  have  studied  his  faith  and  find  it  too 
humble  for  my  taste,  also  too  new.  Shall  I,  Oro,  creep 
a  suppliant  before  any  Power,  and  confess  what  Bastin 
is  pleased  to  call  my  sins?  Nay,  I  who  am  great  will 
be  the  equal  of  all  greatness,  or  nothing." 

He  paused  a  while,  then  went  on : 

"  Bastin  speaks  of  '  eternity.'  Where  and  what  then 
is  this  eternity  which  if  it  has  no  end  can  have  had  no 
beginning?  I  know  the  secret  of  the  suns  and  their 
attendant  worlds,  and  they  are  no  more  eternal  than 
the  insect  which  glitters  for  an  hour.  Out  of  shapeless, 
rushing  gases  they  gathered  to  live  their  day,  and  into 
gases  at  last  they  dissolve  again  with  all  they  bore." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  "  but  they  re-form  into  new 
worlds." 

"  That  have  no  part  with  the  old.  This  world,  too, 
shall  melt,  departing  to  whence  it  came,  as  your  sacred 
writings  say,  and  what  then  of  those  who  dwelt  and 
dwell  thereon?  No,  Man  of  to-day,  give  me  Time  in 
which  I  rule  and  keep  your  dreams  of  an  Eternity  that 
is  not,  and  in  which  you  must  still  crawl  and  serve, 
even  if  it  were.  Yet,  if  I  might,  I  confess  it,  I  would 
live  on  for  ever,  but  as  Master  not  as  Slave." 

On  another  night  he  began  to  tempt  me,  very  subtly. 

"  I  see  a  spark  of  greatness  in  you,  Humphrey,"  he 

said,  "  and  it  comes  into  my  heart  that  you,  too,  might 


The  Proposals  of  Bastin  and  Bickley   275 

learn  to  rule.  With  Yva,  the  last  of  my  blood,  it  is 
otherwise.  She  is  the  child  of  my  age  and  of  a  race  out- 
worn; too  gentle,  too  much  all  womanly.  The  soul  that 
triumphs  must  shine  like  steel  in  the  sun,  and  cut  if 
need  be ;  not  merely  be  beauteous  and  shed  perfume  like 
a  lily  in  the  shade.  Yet  she  is  very  wise  and  fair,"  here 
he  looked  at  me,  "  perchance  of  her  might  come  children 
such  as  were  their  forefathers,  who  again  would  wield 
the  sceptre  of  the  dominion  of  the  earth." 

I  made  no  answer,  wondering  what  he  meant  exactly 
and  thinking  it  wisest  to  be  silent. 

"  You  are  of  the  short-lived  races,"  he  went  on,  "  yet 
very  much  a  man,  not  without  intelligence,  and  by  the 
arts  I  have  I  can  so  strengthen  your  frame  that  it  will 
endure  the  shocks  of  time  for  three  such  lives  as  yours, 
or  perchance  for  more,  and  then " 

Again  he  paused  and  went  on : 

"  The  Daughter  of  kings  likes  you  also,  perhaps 

because  you  resemble "  here  he  fixed  me  with  his 

piercing  eyes,  "  a  certain  kinglet  of  base  blood  whom 
once  she  also  liked,  but  whom  it  was  my  duty  to  destroy. 
Well,  I  must  think.  I  must  study  this  world  of  yours 
also  and  therein  you  may  help  me.  Perhaps  afterwards 
I  will  tell  you  how.  Now  sleep." 

In  another  moment  he  was  gone,  but  notwithstand- 
ing his  powerful  command,  for  a  while  I  could  not 
sleep.  I  understood  that  he  was  offering  Yva  to  me, 
but  upon  what  terms?  That  was  the  question.  With 
her  was  to  go  great  dominion  over  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth.  I  could  not  help  remembering  that  always  this 
has  been  and  still  is  Satan's  favourite  bait.  To  me  it 
did  not  particularly  appeal.  I  had  been  ambitious  in 
my  time — who  is  not  that  is  worth  his  salt?  I  could 
have  wished  to  excel  in  something,  literature  or  art,  or 


276  When  the  World  Shook 

whatever  it  might  be,  and  thus  to  ensure  the  memory  of 
my  name  in  the  world. 

Of  course  this  is  a  most  futile  desire,  seeing  that  soon 
or  late  every  name  must  fade  out  of  the  world  like  an 
unfixed  photograph  which  is  exposed  to  the  sun.  Even 
if  it  could  endure,  as  the  old  demi-god,  or  demi-devil, 
Oro,  had  pointed  out,  very  shortly,  by  comparison  with 
Time's  unmeasured  vastness,  the  whole  solar  system 
will  also  fade.  So  of  what  use  is  this  feeble  love  of  fame 
and  this  vain  attempt  to  be  remembered  that  animates 
us  so  strongly?  Moreover,  the  idea  of  enjoying  mere 
temporal  as  opposed  to  intellectual  power,  appealed  to 
me  not  at  all.  I  am  a  student  of  history  and  I  know 
what  has  been  the  lot  of  kings  and  the  evil  that,  often 
enough,  they  work  in  their  little  day. 

Also  if  I  needed  any  further  example,  there  was  that 
of  Oro  himself.  He  had  outlived  the  greatness  of  his 
House,  as  a  royal  family  is  called,  and  after  some 
gigantic  murder,  if  his  own  story  was  to  be  believed, 
indulged  in  a  prolonged  sleep.  Now  he  awoke  to  find 
himself  quite  alone  in  the  world,  save  for  a  daughter 
with  whom  he  did  not  agree  or  sympathise.  In  short, 
he  was  but  a  kind  of  animated  mummy  inspired  by  one 
idea  which  I  felt  quite  sure  would  be  disappointed, 
namely,  to  renew  his  former  greatness.  To  me  he 
seemed  as  miserable  a  figure  as  one  could  imagine, 
brooding  and  plotting  in  his  illuminated  cave,  at  the 
end  of  an  extended  but  mis-spent  life. 

Also  I  wondered  what  he,  or  rather  his  ego,  had 
been  doing  during  all  those  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand years  of  sleep.  Possibly  if  Yva's  theory,  as  I 
understood  it,  were  correct,  he  had  re-incarnated  as 
Attila,  or  Tamerlane,  or  Napoleon,  or  even  as  Chaka 
the  terrible  Zulu  king.  At  any  rate  there  he  was  still 


The  Proposals  of  Bastin  and  Bickley    277 

in  the  world,  filled  with  the  dread  of  death,  but  con- 
sumed now  as  ever  by  his  insatiable  and  most  useless 
finite  ambitions. 

Yva,  also!  Her  case  was  his,  but  yet  how  different. 
In  all  this  long  night  of  Time  she  had  but  ripened  into 
one  of  the  sweetest  and  most  gentle  women  that  ever 
the  world  bore.  She,  too,  was  great  in  her  way,  it  ap- 
peared in  her  every  word  and  gesture,  but  where  was 
the  ferocity  of  her  father?  Where  his  desire  to  reach 
to  splendour  by  treading  on  a  blood-stained  road  paved 
with  broken  human  hearts?  It  did  not  exist.  Her 
nature  was  different  although  her  body  came  of  a  long 
line  of  these  power-loving  kings.  Why  this  profound 
difference  of  the  spirit?  Like  everything  else  it  was  a 
mystery.  The  two  were  as  far  apart  as  the  Poles. 
Everyone  must  have  hated  Oro,  from  the  beginning, 
however  much  he  feared  him,  but  everyone  who  came  in 
touch  with  her  must  have  loved  Yva. 

Here  I  may  break  into  my  personal  narrative  to  say 
that  this,  by  their  own  confession,  proved  to  be  true  of 
two  such  various  persons  as  Bastin  and  Bickley. 

"  The  truth,  which  I  am  sure  it  would  be  wrong  to 
hide  from  you,  Arbuthnot,"  said  the  former  to  me  one 
day,  "  is  that  during  your  long  illness  I  fell  in  love,  I 
suppose  that  is  the  right  word,  with  the  Glittering  Lady. 
After  thinking  the  matter  over  also,  I  conceived  that  it 
would  be  proper  to  tell  her  so  if  only  to  clear  the  air  and 
prevent  future  misunderstandings.  As  I  remarked  to 
her  on  that  occasion,  I  had  hesitated  long,  as  I  was  not 
certain  how  she  would  fill  the  place  of  the  wife  of  the 
incumbent  of  an  English  parish." 

"  Mothers'  Meetings,  and  the  rest,"  I  suggested. 

"  Exactly  so,  Arbuthnot.     Also  there  were  the  views 


278  When  the  World  Shook 

of  the  Bishop  to  be  considered,  who  might  have  ob- 
jected to  the  introduction  into  the  diocese  of  a  striking 
person  who  so  recently  had  been  a  heathen,  and  to  one 
in  such  strong  contrast  to  my  late  beloved  wife." 

"  I  suppose  you  didn't  consider  the  late  Mrs.  Bas- 
tin's  views  on  the  subject  of  re-marriage.  I  remember 
that  they  were  strong,"  I  remarked  rather  maliciously. 

"  No,  I  did  not  think  it  necessary,  since  the  Scrip- 
tural instructions  on  the  matter  are  very  clear,  and  in 
another  world  no  doubt  all  jealousies,  even  Sarah's, 
will  be  obliterated.  Upon  that  point  my  conscience 
was  quite  easy.  So  when  I  found  that,  unlike  her  parent, 
the  Lady  Yva  was  much  inclined  to  accept  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  faith  in  which  it  is  my  privilege  to  instruct 
her,  I  thought  it  proper  to  say  to  her  that  if  ultimately 
she  made  up  her  mind  to  do  so — of  course  this  was  a 
sine  qua  non — I  should  be  much  honoured,  and  as  a 
man,  not  as  a  priest,  it  would  make  me  most  happy  if  she 
would  take  me  as  a  husband.  Of  course  I  explained  to 
her  that  I  considered,  under  the  circumstances,  I  could 
quite  lawfully  perform  the  marriage  ceremony  myself 
with  you  and  Bickley  as  witnesses,  even  should  Oro 
refuse  to  give  her  away.  Also  I  told  her  that  although 
after  her  varied  experiences  in  the  past,  life  at  Ful- 
combe,  if  we  could  ever  get  there,  might  be  a  little  mon- 
otonous, still  it  would  not  be  entirely  devoid  of  interest." 

"  You  mean  Christmas  decorations  and  that  sort 
of  thing?" 

"  Yes,  and  choir  treats  and  entertaining  Deputations 
and  attending  other  Church  activities." 

"Well,  and  what  did  she  say,  Bastin?" 

"  Oh !  she  was  most  kind  and  flattering.  Indeed 
that  hour  will  always  remain  the  pleasantest  of  my  life. 
I  don't  know  how  it  happened,  but  when  it  was  over  I 


The  Proposals  of  Bastin  and  Bickley    279 

felt  quite  delighted  that  she  had  refused  me.  Indeed  on 
second  thoughts,  I  am  not  certain  but  that  I  shall  be 
much  happier  in  the  capacities  of  a  brother  and  teacher 
which  she  asked  me  to  fill,  than  I  should  have  been  as 
her  husband.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  Arbuthnot,  there 
are  moments  when  I  am  not  sure  whether  I  entirely 
understand  the  Lady  Yva.  It  was  rather  like  proposing 
to  one's  guardian  angel." 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  that's  about  it,  old  fellow.  *  Guardian 
Angel '  is  not  a  bad  name  for  her." 

Afterwards  I  received  the  confidence  of  Bickley. 

"  Look  here,  Arbuthnot,"  he  said.  "  I  want  to  own 
up  to  something.  I  think  I  ought  to,  because  of  certain 
things  I  have  observed,  in  order  to  prevent  possible 
future  misunderstandings." 

"What's  that?"  I  asked  innocently. 

"  Only  this.  As  you  know,  I  have  always  been  a 
confirmed  bachelor  on  principle.  Women  introduce 
too  many  complications  into  life,  and  although  it  in- 
volves some  sacrifice,  on  the  whole,  I  have  thought  it 
best  to  do  without  them  and  leave  the  carrying  on  of 
the  world  to  others." 

"Well,  what  of  it?  Your  views  are  not  singular, 
Bickley." 

"  Only  this.  While  you  were  ill  the  sweetness  of 
that  Lady  Yva  and  her  wonderful  qualities  as  a  nurse 
overcame  me.  I  went  to  pieces  all  of  a  sudden.  I  saw 
in  her  a  realisation  of  every  ideal  I  had  ever  entertained 
of  perfect  womanhood.  So  to  speak,  my  resolves  of  a 
lifetime  melted  like  wax  in  the  sun.  Notwithstanding 
her  queer  history  and  the  marvels  with  which  she  is 
mixed  up,  I  wished  to  marry  her.  No  doubt  her  physical 
loveliness  was  at  the  bottom  of  it,  but,  however  that 
may  be,  there  it  was." 


280  When  the  World  Shook 

"She  is  beautiful,"  I  commented;  "though  I  daresay 
older  than  she  looks." 

"  That  is  a  point  on  which  I  made  no  inquiries,  and 
I  should  advise  you,  when  your  turn  comes,  as  no  doubt 
it  will,  to  follow  my  example.  You  know,  Arbuthnot," 
he  mused,  "  however  lovely  a  woman  may  be,  it  would 
put  one  off  if  suddenly  she  announced  that  she  was — 
let  us  say — a  hundred  and  fifty  years  old." 

"  Yes,"  I  admitted,  "  for  nobody  wants  to  marry 
the  contemporary  of  his  great-grandmother.  However, 
she  gave  her  age  as  twenty-seven  years  and  three 
moons." 

"  And  doubtless  for  once  did  not  tell  the  truth.  But, 
as  she  does  not  look  more  than  twenty-five,  I  think  that 
we  may  all  agree  to  let  it  stand  at  that,  namely,  twenty- 
seven,  plus  an  indefinite  period  of  sleep.  At  any  rate, 
she  is  a  sweet  and  most  gracious  woman,  apparently  in 
the  bloom  of  youth,  and,  to  cut  it  short,  I  fell  in  love 
with  her." 

"  Like  Bastin,"  I  said. 

"  Bastin !  "  exclaimed  Bickley  indignantly.  "  You 
don't  mean  to  say  that  clerical  oaf  presumed — well,  well, 
after  all,  I  suppose  that  he  is  a  man,  so  one  mustn't  be 
hard  on  him.  But  who  could  have  thought  that  he 
would  run  so  cunning,  even  when  he  knew  my  senti- 
ments towards  the  lady?  I  hope  she  told  him  her 
mind." 

"The  point  is,  what  did  she  tell  you,  Bickley?" 

"  Me  ?  Oh,  she  was  perfectly  charming !  It  really 
was  a  pleasure  to  be  refused  by  her,  she  puts  one  so 
thoroughly  at  one's  ease."  (Here,  remembering  Bastin 
and  his  story,  I  turned  away  my  face  to  hide  a  smile.) 
"  She  said — what  did  she  say  exactly  ?  Such  a  lot  that 
it  is  difficult  to  remember.  Oh!  that  she  was  not  think- 


The  Proposals  of  Bastin  and  Bickley    281 

ing  of  marriage.  Also,  that  she  had  not  yet  recovered 
from  some  recent  love  affair  which  left  her  heart  sore, 
since  the  time  of  her  sleep  did  not  count.  Also,  that 
her  father  would  never  consent,  and  that  the  mere  idea 
of  such  a  thing  would  excite  his  animosity  against  all 
of  us." 

"Is  that  all?"  Tasked. 

"  Not  quite.  She  added  that  she  felt  wonderfully 
flattered  and  extremely  honoured  by  what  I  had  been  so 
good  as  to  say  to  her.  She  hoped,  however,  that  I 
should  never  repeat  it  or  even  allude  to  the  matter  again, 
as  her  dearest  wish  was  to  be  able  to  look  upon  me  as 
her  most  intimate  friend  to  whom  she  could  always  come 
for  sympathy  and  counsel." 

"  What  happened  then?  " 

"  Nothing,  of  course,  except  that  I  promised  every- 
thing that  she  wished,  and  mean  to  stick  to  it,  too. 
Naturally,  I  was  very  sore  and  upset,  but  I  am  getting 
over  it,  having  always  practised  self-control." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  you,  old  fellow." 

"  Are  you  ?  "  he  asked  suspiciously.  "  Then  perhaps 
you  have  tried  your  luck,  too  ?  " 

"  No,  Bickley." 

His  face  fell  a  little  at  this  denial,  and  he  answered: 

"  Well,  it  would  have  been  scarcely  decent  if  you 
had,  seeing  how  lately  you  were  married.  But  then,  so 
was  that  artful  Bastin.  Perhaps  you  will  get  over  it — 
recent  marriage,  I  mean — as  he  has."  He  hesitated  a 
while,  then  went  on :  "  Of  course  you  will,  old  fellow ; 
I  know  it,  and,  what  is  more,  I  seem  to  know  that  when 
your  turn  comes  you  will  get  a  different  answer.  If  so, 
it  will  keep  her  in  the  family  as  it  were — and  good  luck 
to  you.  Only " 

"  Only  what  ?  "  I  asked  anxiously. 


282  When  the  World  Shook 

"  To  be  honest,  Arbuthnot,  I  don't  think  that  there 
will  be  real  good  luck  for  any  one  of  us  over  this  woman 
— not  in  the  ordinary  sense,  I  mean.  The  whole  busi- 
ness is  too  strange  and  superhuman.  Is  she  quite  a 
woman,  and  could  she  really  marry  a  man  as  others 
do?" 

"  It  is  curious  that  you  should  talk  like  that,"  I  said 
uneasily.  "  I  thought  that  you  had  made  up  your  mind 
that  the  whole  business  was  either  illusion  or  trickery — 
I  mean,  the  odd  side  of  it." 

"  If  it  is  illusion,  Arbuthnot,  then  a  man  cannot 
marry  an  illusion.  And  if  it  is  trickery,  then  he  will 
certainly  be  tricked.  But,  supposing  that  I  am  wrong, 
what  then?" 

"  You  mean,  supposing  things  are  as  they  seem  to 
be?" 

"  Yes.  In  that  event,  Arbuthnot,  I  am  sure  that 
something  will  occur  to  prevent  your  being  united  to  a 
woman  who  lived  thousands  of  years  ago.  I  am  sorry 
to  say  it,  but  Fate  will  intervene.  Remember,  it  is  the 
god  of  her  people  that  I  suppose  she  worships,  and,  I 
may  add,  to  which  the  whole  world  bows." 

At  his  words  a  kind  of  chill  fell  upon  me.  I  think 
he  saw  or  divined  it,  for  after  a  few  remarks  upon  some 
indifferent  matter,  he  turned  and  went  away. 

Shortly  after  this  Yva  came  to  sit  with  me.  She 
studied  me  for  a  while  and  I  studied  her.  I  had  reason 
to  do  so,  for  I  observed  that  of  late  her  dress  had 
become  much  more  modern,  and  on  the  present  occasion 
this  struck  me  forcibly.  I  do  not  know  exactly  in  what 
the  change,  or  changes,  consisted,  because  I  am  not 
skilled  in  such  matters  and  can  only  judge  of  a  woman's 
garments  by  their  general  effect.  At  any  rate,  the  gor- 
geous sweeping  robes  were  gone,  and  though  her  attire 


The  Proposals  of  Bastin  and  Bickley    283 

still  looked  foreign  and  somewhat  oriental,  with  a  touch 
of  barbaric  splendour  about  it — it  was  simpler  than  it 
had  been  and  showed  more  of  her  figure,  which  was 
delicate,  yet  gracious. 

"  You  have  changed  your  robes,  Lady,"  I  said. 

"  Yes,  Humphrey.  Bastin  gave  me  pictures  of  those 
your  women  wear."  (On  further  investigation  I  found 
that  this  referred  to  an  old  copy  of  the  Queen  newspaper, 
which,  somehow  or  other,  had  been  brought  with  the 
books  from  the  ship. )  "I  have  tried  to  copy  them  a 
little,"  she  added  doubtfully. 

"How  do  you  do  it?  Where  do  you  get  the 
material  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Oh !  "  she  answered  with  an  airy  wave  of  her  hand, 
"  I  make  it— it  is  there." 

"  I  don't  understand,"  I  said,  but  she  only  smiled 
radiantly,  offering  no  further  explanation.  Then,  before 
I  could  pursue  the  subject,  she  asked  me  suddenly: 

"  What  has  Bickley  been  saying  to  you  about 
me?" 

I  fenced,  answering :  "  I  don't  know.  Bastin  and 
Bickley  talk  of  little  else.  You  seem  to  have  been  a 
great  deal  with  them  while  I  was  ill." 

"Yes,  a  great  deal.  They  are  the  nearest  to  you 
who  were  so  sick.  Is  it  not  so  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  answered  again.  "  In  my  illness 
it  seemed  to  me  that  you  were  the  nearest." 

"  About  Bastin's  words  I  can  guess,"  she  went  on. 
"  But  I  ask  again — what  has  Bickley  been  saying  to  you 
about  me?  Of  the  first  part,  let  it  be;  tell  me  the 
rest." 

I  intended  to  evade  her  question,  but  she  fixed  those 
violet,  compelling  eyes  upon  me  and  I  was  obliged  to 
answer. 


284  When  the  World  Shook 

"  I  believe  you  know  as  well  as  I  do,"  I  said;  ';  but  if 
you  will  have  it,  it  was  that  you  are  not  as  other  human 
women  are,  and  that  he  who  would  treat  you  as  such, 
must  suffer;  that  was  the  gist  of  it." 

"  Some  might  be  content  to  suffer  for  such  as  I,"  she 
answered  with  quiet  sweetness.  "  Even  Bastin  and 
Bickley  may  be  content  to  suffer  in  their  own  little 
ways." 

"  You  know  that  is  not  what  I  meant,"  I  interrupted 
angrily,  for  I  felt  that  she  was  throwing  reflections  on 
me. 

"  No ;  you  meant  that  you  agreed  with  Bickley  that 
I  am  not  quite  a  woman,  as  you  know  women." 

I  was  silent,  for  her  words  were  true. 

Then  she  blazed  out  into  one  of  her  flashes  of  splen- 
dour, like  something  that  takes  fire  on  an  instant;  like 
the  faint  and  distant  star  which  flames  into  sudden  glory 
before  the  watcher's  telescope. 

"  It  is  true  that  I  am  not  as  your  women  are — your 
poor,  pale  women,  the  shadows  of  an  hour  with  night 
behind  them  and  before.  Because  I  am  humble  and 
patient,  do  you  therefore  suppose  that  I  am  not  great? 
Man  from  the  little  country  across  the  sea,  I  lived 
when  the  world  was  young,  and  gathered  up  the  ancient 
wisdom  of  a  greater  race  than  yours,  and  when  the 
world  is  old  I  think  that  I  still  shall  live,  though  not 
in  this  shape  or  here,  with  all  that  wisdom's  essence 
burning  in  my  breast,  and  with  all  beauty  in  my  eyes. 
Bickley  does  not  believe  although  he  worships.  You 
only  half  believe  and  do  not  worship,  because  memory 
holds  you  back,  and  I  myself  do  not  understand.  I  only 
know  though  knowing  so  much,  still  I  seek  roads  to 
learning,  even  the  humble  road  called  Bastin,  that  yet 
may  lead  my  feet  to  the  gate  of  an  immortal  city." 


The  Proposals  of  Bastin  and  Bickley    285 

"  Nor  do  I  understand  how  all  this  can  be,  Yva,"  I 
said  feebly,  for  she  dazzled  and  overwhelmed  me  with 
her  blaze  of  power. 

"  No,  you  do  not  understand.  How  can  you,  when 
even  I  cannot?  Thus  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
years  I  slept,  and  they  went  by  as  a  lightning  flash. 
One  moment  my  father  gave  me  the  draught  and  I  laid 
me  down,  the  next  I  awoke  with  you  bending  over  me, 
or  so  it  seemed.  Yet  where  was  I  through  all  those 
centuries  when  for  me  time  had  ceased?  Tell  me, 
Humphrey,  did  you  dream  at  all  while  you  were  ill?  I 
ask  because  down  in  that  lonely  cavern  where  I  sleep  a 
strange  dream  came  to  me  one  night.  It  was  of  a 
journey  which,  as  I  thought,  you  and  I  seemed  to  make 
together,  past  suns  and  universes  to  a  very  distant 
earth.  It  meant  nothing,  Humphrey.  If  you  and  I 
chanced  to  have  dreamed  the  same  thing,  it  was  only 
because  my  dream  travelled  to  you.  It  is  most  common, 
or  used  to  be.  Humphrey,  Bickley  is  quite  right,  I  am 
not  altogether  as  your  women  are,  and  I  can  bring  no 
happiness  to  any  man,  or  at  the  least,  to  one  who  cannot 
wait.  Therefore,  perhaps  you  would  do  well  to  think 
less  of  me,  as  I  have  counselled  Bastin  and  Bickley." 

Then  again  she  gazed  at  me  with  her  wonderful, 
great  eyes,  and,  shaking  her  glittering  head  a  little, 
smiled  and  went. 

But  oh!  that  smile  drew  my  heart  after  her. 


CHAPTER  XX 

ORO  AND  ARBUTHNOT  TRAVEL  BY  NIGHT 

As  time  went  on,  Oro  began  to  visit  me  more  and  more 
frequently,  till  at  last  scarcely  a  night  went  by  that  he 
did  not  appear  mysteriously  in  my  sleeping-place.  The 
odd  thing  was  that  neither  Bickley  nor  Bastin  seemed 
to  be  aware  of  these  nocturnal  calls.  Indeed,  when  I 
mentioned  them  on  one  or  two  occasions,  they  stared  at 
me  and  said  it  was  strange  that  he  should  have  come 
and  gone  as  they  saw  nothing  of  him. 

On  my  speaking  again  of  the  matter,  Bickley  at  once 
turned  the  conversation,  from  which  I  gathered  that  he 
believed  me  to  be  suffering  from  delusions  consequent 
on  my  illness,  or  perhaps  to  have  taken  to  dreaming. 
This  was  not  wonderful  since,  as  I  learned  afterwards, 
Bickley,  after  he  was  sure  that  I  was  asleep,  made  a 
practice  of  tying  a  thread  across  my  doorway  and  of 
ascertaining  at  the  dawn  that  it  remained  unbroken. 
But  Oro  was  not  to  be  caught  in  that  way.  I  suppose, 
as  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  pass  through  the  lattice- 
work of  the  open  side  of  the  house,  that  he  undid  the 
thread  and  fastened  it  again  when  he  left;  at  least,  that 
was  Bastin's  explanation,  or,  rather,  one  of  them. 
Another  was  that  he  crawled  beneath  it,  but  this  I  could 
not  believe.  I  am  quite  certain  that  during  all  his  pro- 
longed existence  Oro  never  crawled. 

At  any  rate,  he  came,  or  seemed  to  come,  and 
pumped  me — I  can  use  no  other  word — most  energeti- 
cally as  to  existing  conditions  in  the  world,  especially 

286 


Oro  and  Arbuthnot  Travel  by  Night    287 

those  of  the  civilised  countries,  their  methods  of  govern- 
ment, their  social  state,  the  physical  characteristics  of 
the  various  races,  their  religions,  the  exact  degrees  of 
civilisation  that  they  had  developed,  their  attainments 
in  art,  science  and  literature,  their  martial  capacities, 
their  laws,  and  I  know  not  what  besides. 

I  told  him  all  I  could,  but  did  not  in  the  least  seem 
to  satisfy  his  perennial  thirst  for  information. 

"  I  should  prefer  to  judge  for  myself,"  he  said  at  last. 

"  Why  are  you  so  anxious  to  learn  about  all  these 
nations,  Oro?  "  I  asked,  exhausted. 

"  Because  the  knowledge  I  gather  may  affect  my 
plans  for  the  future,"  he  replied  darkly. 

"  I  am  told,  Oro,  that  your  people  acquired  the  power 
of  transporting  themselves  from  place  to  place." 

"  It  is  true  that  the  lords  of  the  Sons  of  Wisdom  had 
such  power,  and  that  I  have  it  still,  O  Humphrey." 

"  Then  why  do  you  not  go  to  look  with  your  own 
eyes  ?  "  I  suggested. 

"  Because  I  should  need  a  guide ;  one  who  could  ex- 
plain much  in  a  short  time,"  he  said,  contemplating  me 
with  his  burning  glance  until  I  began  to  feel  uncomfort- 
able. 

To  change  the  subject  I  asked  him  whether  he  had 
any  further  information  about  the  war,  which  he  had 
told  me  was  raging  in  Europe. 

He  answered:  "Not  much;  only  that  it  was  going 
on  with  varying  success,  and  would  continue  to  do  so 
until  the  nations  involved  therein  were  exhausted,"  or 
so  he  believed.  The  war  did  not  seem  greatly  to  interest 
Oro.  It  was,  he  remarked,  but  a  small  affair  compared 
to  those  which  he  had  known  in  the  old  days.  Then  he 
departed,  and  I  went  to  sleep. 

Next  night  he  appeared  again,  and,  after  talking  a 


288  V/hen  the  World  Shook 

little  on  different  subjects,  remarked  quietly  that  he  had 
been  thinking  over  what  I  had  said  as  to  his  visiting 
the  modern  world,  and  intended  to  act  upon  the  sugges- 
tion. 

"When?"  I  asked. 

"  Now,"  he  said.  "  I  am  going  to  visit  this  England 
of  yours  and  the  town  you  call  London,  and  you  will 
accompany  me." 

"  It  is  not  possible ! "  I  exclaimed.  "  We  have  no 
ship." 

"  We  can  travel  without  a  ship,"  said  Oro. 

I  grew  alarmed,  and  suggested  that  Bastin  or  Bickley 
would  be  a  much  better  companion  than  I  should  in  my 
present  weak  state. 

"  An  empty-headed  man,  or  one  who  always  doubts 
and  argues,  would  be  useless,"  he  replied  sharply.  "  You 
shall  come  and  you  only." 

I  expostulated;  I  tried  to  get  up  and  fly — which,  in- 
deed, I  did  do,  in  another  sense. 

But  Oro  fixed  his  eyes  upon  me  and  slowly  waved 
his  thin  hand  to  and  fro  above  my  head. 

My  senses  reeled.    Then  came  a  great  darkness. 

They  returned  again.  Now  I  was  standing  in  an 
icy,  reeking  fog,  which  I  knew  could  belong  to  one  place 
only — London,  in  December,  and  at  my  side  was  Oro. 

"Is  this  the  climate  of  your  wonderful  city?"  he 
asked,  or  seemed  to  ask,  in  an  aggrieved  tone. 

I  replied  that  it  was,  for  about  three  months  in  the 
year,  and  began  to  look  about  me. 

Soon  I  found  my  bearings.  In  front  of  me  were 
great  piles  of  buildings,  looking  dim  and  mysterious  in 
the  fog,  in  which  I  recognised  the  Houses  of  Parliament 
and  Westminster  Abbey,  for  both  could  be  seen  from 


Oro  and  Arbuthnot  Travel  by  Night    289 

where  we  stood  in  front  of  the  Westminster  Bridge 
Station.  I  explained  their  identity  to  Oro. 

"  Good,"  he  said.    "  Let  us  enter  your  Place  of  Talk." 

"  But  I  am  not  a  member,  and  we  have  no  passes  for 
the  Strangers'  Gallery,"  I  expostulated. 

"  We  shall  not  need  any,"  he  replied  contemptuously. 
"  Lead  on." 

Thus  adjured,  I  crossed  the  road,  Oro  following  me. 
Looking  round,  to  my  horror  I  saw  him  right  in  the 
path  of  a  motor-bus  which  seemed  to  go  over  him. 

"  There's  an  end  to  Oro,"  thought  I  to  myself. 
"  Well,  at  any  rate,  I  have  got  home." 

Next  instant  he  was  at  my  side  quite  undisturbed  by 
the  incident  of  the  'bus.  We  came  to  a  policeman  at 
the  door  and  I  hesitated,  expecting  to  be  challenged. 
But  the  policeman  seemed  absolutely  indifferent  to  our 
presence,  even  when  Oro  marched  past  him  in  his  flow- 
ing robes.  So  I  followed  with  a  like  success.  Then  I 
understood  that  we  must  be  invisible. 

We  passed  to  the  lobby,  where  members  were  hurry- 
ing to  and  fro,  and  constituents  and  pressmen  were 
gathered,  and  so  on  into  the  House.  Oro  walked  up  its 
floor  and  took  his  stand  by  the  table,  in  front  of  the 
Speaker.  I  followed  him,  none  saying  us  No. 

As  it  chanced  there  was  what  is  called  a  scene  in 
progress — I  think  it  was  over  Irish  matters;  the  details 
are  of  no  account.  Members  shouted,  Ministers  pre- 
varicated and  grew  angry,  the  Speaker  intervened.  On 
the  whole,  it  was  rather  a  degrading  spectacle.  I  stood, 
or  seemed  to  stand,  and  watched  it  all.  Oro,  in  his 
sweeping  robes,  which  looked  so  incongruous  in  that 
place,  stepped,  or  seemed  to  step,  up  to  the  principal 
personages  of  the  Government  and  Opposition,  whom  I 
indicated  to  him,  and  inspected  them  one  by  one,  as  a 


290  When  the  World  Shook 

naturalist  might  examine  strange  insects.  Then,  re- 
turning to  me,  he  said : 

"Come  away;  I  have  seen  and  heard  enough.  Who 
would  have  thought  that  this  nation  of  yours  was 
struggling  for  its  life  in  war?  " 

We  passed  out  of  the  House  and  somehow  came  to 
Trafalgar  Square.  A  meeting  was  in  progress  there, 
convened,  apparently,  to  advocate  the  rights  of  Labour, 
also  those  of  women,  also  to  protest  against  things  in 
general,  especially  the  threat  of  Conscription  in  the 
service  of  the  country. 

Here  the  noise  was  tremendous,  and,  the  fog  having 
lifted  somewhat,  we  could  see  everything.  Speakers 
bawled  from  the  base  of  Nelson's  column.  Their 
supporters  cheered,  their  adversaries  rushed  at  them, 
and  in  one  or  two  instances  succeeded  in  pulling  them 
down.  A  woman  climbed  up  and  began  to  scream  out 
something  which  could  only  be  heard  by  a  few  reporters 
gathered  round  her.  I  thought  her  an  unpleasant-look- 
ing person,  and  evidently  her  remarks  were  not  palatable 
to  the  majority  of  her  auditors.  There  was  a  rush,  and 
she  was  dragged  from  the  base  of  one  of  Landseer's 
lions  on  which  she  stood.  Her  skirt  was  half  rent  off 
her  and  her  bodice  split  down  the  back.  Finally,  she 
was  conveyed  away,  kicking,  biting,  and  scratching,  by 
a  number  of  police.  It  was  a  disgusting  sight,  and 
tumult  ensued. 

"  Let  us  go,"  said  Oro.  "  Your  officers  of  order  are 
good ;  the  rest  is  not  good." 

Later  we  found  ourselves  opposite  to  the  doors  of  a 
famous  restaurant  where  a  magnificent  and  gigantic 
commissionaire  helped  ladies  from  motor-cars,  receiving 
in  return  money  from  the  men  who  attended  on  them. 
We  entered;  it  was  the  hour  of  dinner.  The  place 


Oro  and  Arbuthnot  Travel  by  Night    291 

sparkled  with  gems,  and  the  naked  backs  of  the  women 
gleamed  in  the  electric  light.  Course  followed  upon 
course;  champagne  flowed,  a  fine  band  played,  every- 
thing was  costly;  everything  was,  in  a  sense,  repellent. 

"  These  are  the  wealthy  citizens  of  a  nation  engaged 
in  fighting  for  its  life,"  remarked  Oro  to  me,  stroking 
his  long  beard.  "  It  is  interesting,  very  interesting.  Let 
us  go." 

We  went  out  and  on,  passing  a  public-house  crowded 
with  women  who  had  left  their  babies  in  charge  of 
children  in  the  icy  street.  It  was  a  day  of  Intercession 
for  the  success  of  England  in  the  war.  This  was 
placarded  everywhere.  We  entered,  or,  rather,  Oro  did, 
I  following  him,  one  of  the  churches  in  the  Strand  where 
an  evening  service  was  in  progress.  The  preacher  in 
the  pulpit,  a  very  able  man,  was  holding  forth  upon  the 
necessity  for  national  repentance  and  self-denial;  also 
of  prayer.  In  the  body  of  the  church  exactly  thirty-two 
people,  most  of  them  elderly  women,  were  listening  to 
him  with  an  air  of  placid  acceptance. 

"  The  priest  talks  well,  but  his  hearers  are  not  many," 
said  Oro.  "  Let  us  go." 

We  came  to  the  flaunting  doors  of  a  great  music-hall 
and  passed  through  them,  though  to  others  this  would 
have  been  impossible,  for  the  place  was  filled  from  floor 
to  roof.  In  its  promenades  men  were  drinking  and 
smoking,  while  gaudy  women,  painted  and  low-robed, 
leered  at  them.  On  the  stage  girls  danced,  throwing 
their  legs  above  their  heads.  Then  they  vanished 
amidst  applause,  and  a  woman  in  a  yellow  robe,  who 
pretended  to  be  tipsy,  sang  a  horrible  and  vulgar  song 
full  of  topical  allusions,  which  was  received  with 
screams  of  delight  by  the  enormous  audience. 

"  Here  the  hearers  are  very  many,  but  those  to  whom 


292  When  the  World  Shook 

they  listen  do  not  talk  well.  Let  us  go,"  said  Oro,  and 
we  went. 

At  a  recruiting  station  we  paused  a  moment  to  con- 
sider posters  supposed  to  be  attractive,  the  very  sight  of 
which  sent  a  thrill  of  shame  through  me.  I  remember 
that  the  inscription  under  one  of  them  was:  "  What  will 
your  best  girl  say  ?  " 

"  Is  that  how  you  gather  your  soldiers  ?  Later  it  will 
be  otherwise,"  said  Oro,  and  passed  on. 

We  reached  Blackfriars  and  entered  a  hall  at  the 
doors  of  which  stood  women  in  poke-bonnets,  very 
sweet-faced,  earnest-looking  women.  Their  counten- 
ances seemed  to  strike  Oro,  and  he  motioned  me  to 
follow  him  into  the  hall.  It  was  quite  full  of  a 
miserable-looking  congregation  of  perhaps  a  thousand 
people.  A  man  in  the  blue  and  red  uniform  of  the 
Salvation  Army  was  preaching  of  duty  to  God  and 
country,  of  self-denial,  hope  and  forgiveness.  He 
seemed  a  humble  person,  but  his  words  were  earnest, 
and  love  flowed  from  him.  Some  of  his  miserable 
congregation  wept,  others  stared  at  him  open-mouthed, 
a  few,  who  were  very  weary,  slept.  He  called  them  up 
to  receive  pardon,  and  a  number,  led  by  the  sweet-faced 
women,  came  and  knelt  before  him.  He  and  others 
whispered  to  them,  then  seemed  to  bless  them,  and  they 
rose  with  their  faces  changed. 

"  Let  us  go,"  said  Oro.  "  I  do  not  understand  these 
rites,  but  at  last  in  your  great  and  wonderful  city  I  have 
seen  something  that  is  pure  and  noble." 

We  went  out.  In  the  streets  there  was  great  excite- 
ment. People  ran  to  and  fro  pointing  upwards.  Search- 
lights, like  huge  fingers  of  flame,  stole  across  the  sky; 
guns  boomed.  At  last,  in  the  glare  of  a  searchlight,  we 
saw  a  long  and  sinister  object  floating  high  above  us 


Oro  and  Arbuthnot  Travel  by  Night    293 

and  gleaming  as  though  it  were  made  of  silver.  Flashes 
came  from  it  followed  by  terrible  booming  reports  that 
grew  nearer  and  nearer.  A  house  collapsed  with  a 
crash  just  behind  us. 

"  Ah !  "  said  Oro,  with  a  smile.  "  I  know  this — it  is 
war,  war  as  it  was  when  the  world  was  different  and  yet 
the  same." 

As  he  spoke,  a  motor-bus  rumbled  past.  Another 
flash  and  explosion.  A  man,  walking  with  his  arms 
round  the  waist  of  a  girl  just  ahead  of  us,  seemed  to  be 
tossed  up  and  to  melt.  The  girl  fell  in  a  heap  on  the 
pavement;  somehow  her  head  and  her  feet  had  come 
quite  close  together  and  yet  she  appeared  to  be  sitting 
down.  The  motor-bus  burst  into  fragments  and  its  pas- 
sengers hurtled  through  the  air,  mere  hideous  lumps 
that  had  been  men  and  women.  The  head  of  one  of 
them  came  dancing  down  the  pavement  towards  us,  a 
cigar  still  stuck  in  the  corner  of  its  mouth. 

"  Yes,  this  is  war,"  said  Oro.  "  It  makes  me  young 
again  to  see  it.  But  does  this  city  of  yours  under- 
stand?" 

We  watched  a  while.  A  crowd  gathered.  Policemen 
ran  up,  ambulances  came.  The  place  was  cleared,  and 
all  that  was  left  they  carried  away.  A  few  minutes 
later  another  man  passed  by  with  his  arm  round  the 
waist  of  another  girl.  Another  motor-bus  rumbled  up, 
and,  avoiding  the  hole  in  the  roadway,  travelled  on,  its 
conductor  keeping  a  keen  look-out  for  fares. 

The  street  was  cleared  by  the  police;  the  airship 
continued  its  course,  spawning  bombs  in  the  distance, 
and  vanished.  The  incident  was  closed. 

"  Let  us  go  home,"  said  Oro.  "  I  have  seen  enough 
of  your  great  and  wonderful  city.  I  would  rest  in  the 
quiet  of  Nyo  and  think." 


294  When  the  World  Shook 

The  next  thing  that  I  remember  was  the  voice  of 
Bastin,  saying: 

"  If  you  don't  mind,  Arbuthnot,  I  wish  that  you 
would  get  up.  The  Glittering  Lady  (he  still  called  her 
that)  is  coming  here  to  have  a  talk  with  me  which  I 
should  prefer  to  be  private.  Excuse  me  for  disturbing 
you,  but  you  have  overslept  yourself;  indeed,  I  think 
it  must  be  nine  o'clock,  so  far  as  I  can  judge  by  the  sun, 
for  my  watch  is  very  erratic  now,  ever  since  Bickley 
tried  to  clean  it." 

"  I  am  sorry,  my  dear  fellow,"  I  said  sleepily,  "  but 
do  you  know  I  thought  I  was  in  London — in  fact,  I 
could  swear  that  I  have  been  there." 

"  Then,"  interrupted  Bickley,  who  had  followed 
Bastin  into  the. hut,  giving  me  that  doubtful  glance  with 
which  I  was  now  familiar,  "  I  wish  to  goodness  that  you 
had  brought  back  an  evening  paper  with  you." 

A  night  or  two  later  I  was  again  suddenly  awakened 
to  feel  that  Oro  was  approaching.  He  appeared  like  a 
ghost  in  the  bright  moonlight,  greeted  me,  and  said : 

"  To-night,  Humphrey,  we  must  make  another 
journey.  I  would  visit  the  seat  of  the  war." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  go,"  I  said  feebly. 

"  What  you  wish  does  not  matter,"  he  replied.  "  7 
wish  that  you  should  go,  and  therefore  you  must." 

"  Listen,  Oro,"  I  exclaimed.  "  I  do  not  like  this  busi- 
ness; it  seems  dangerous  to  me." 

"There  is  no  danger  if  you  are  obedient,  Humphrey." 

"  I  think  there  is.  I  do  not  understand  what  happens. 
Do  you  make  use  of  what  the  Lady  Yva  called  the 
Fourth  Dimension,  so  that  our  bodies  pass  over  the 
seas  and  through  mountains,  like  the  vibrations  of  our 
Wireless,  of  which  I  was  speaking  to  you?" 


Oro  and  Arbuthnot  Travel  by  Night    295 

"  No,  Humphrey.  That  method  is  good  and  easy, 
but  I  do  not  use  it  because  if  I  did  we  should  be  visible 
in  the  places  which  we  visit,  since  there  all  the  atoms 
that  make  a  man  would  collect  together  again  and  be  a 
man." 

"  What,  then,  do  you  do  ?  "  I  asked,  exasperated. 

"Man,  Humphrey,  is  not  one;  he  is  many.  Thus, 
amongst  other  things  he  has  a  Double,  which  can  see 
and  hear,  as  he  can  in  the  flesh,  if  it  is  separated  from 
the  flesh." 

"  The  old  Egyptians  believed  that,"  I  said. 

"  Did  they  ?  Doubtless  they  inherited  the  knowledge 
from  us,  the  Sons  of  Wisdom.  The  cup  of  our  learning 
was  so  full  that,  keep  it  secret  as  we  would,  from  time 
to  time  some  of  it  overflowed  among  the  vulgar,  and 
doubtless  thus  the  light  of  our  knowledge  still  burns 
feebly  in  the  world." 

I  reflected  to  myself  that  whatever  might  be  their 
other  characteristics,  the  Sons  of  Wisdom  had  lost  that 
of  modesty,  but  I  only  asked  how  he  used  his  Double, 
supposing  that  it  existed. 

"  Very  easily,"  he  answered.  "  In  sleep  it  can  be 
drawn  from  the  body  and  sent  upon  its  mission  by  one 
that  is  its  master." 

"  Then  while  you  were  asleep  for  all  those  thousands 
of  years  your  Double  must  have  made  many  journeys." 

"  Perhaps,"  he  replied  quietly,  "  and  my  spirit  also, 
which  is  another  part  of  me  that  may  have  dwelt  in 
the  bodies  of  other  men.  But  unhappily,  if  so  I  forget, 
and  that  is  why  I  have  so  much  to  learn  and  must  even 
make  use  of  such  poor  instruments  as  you,  Humphrey." 

"  Then  if  I  sleep  and  you  distil  my  Double  out  of 
me,  I  suppose  that  you  sleep  too.  In  that  case  who 
distils  your  Double  out  of  you,  Lord  Oro?  " 


296  When  the  World  Shook 

He  grew  angry  and  answered : 

"  Ask  no  more  questions,  blind  and  ignorant  as  you 
are.  It  is  your  part  not  to  examine,  but  to  obey.  Sleep 
now,"  and  again  he  waved  his  hand  over  me. 

In  an  instant,  as  it  seemed,  we  were  standing  in  a 
grey  old  town  that  I  judged  from  its  appearance  must 
be  either  in  northern  France  or  Belgium.  It  was  much 
shattered  by  bombardment;  the  church,  for  instance, 
was  a  ruin;  also  many  of  the  houses  had  been  burnt. 
Now,  however,  no  firing  was  going  on  for  the  town 
had  been  taken.  The  streets  were  full  of  armed  men 
wearing  the  German  uniform  and  helmet.  We  passed 
down  them  and  were  able  to  see  into  the  houses.  In 
some  of  these  were  German  soldiers  engaged  in  looting 
and  in  other  things  so  horrible  that  even  the  unmoved 
Oro  turned  away  his  head. 

We  came  to  the  market-place.  It  was  crowded  with 
German  troops,  also  with  a  great  number  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  town,  most  of  them  elderly  men  and 
women  with  children,  who  had  fallen  into  their  power. 
The  Germans,  under  the  command  of  officers,  were 
dragging  the  men  from  the  arms  of  their  wives  and 
children  to  one  side,  and  with  rifle-butts  beating  back 
the  screaming  women.  Among  the  men  I  noticed  two 
or  three  priests  who  were  doing  their  best  to  soothe  their 
companions  and  even  giving  them  absolution  in  hurried 
whispers. 

At  length  the  separation  was  effected,  whereon  at  a 
hoarse  word  of  command,  a  company  of  soldiers  began 
to  fire  at  the  men  and  continued  doing  so  until  all  had 
fallen.  Then  petty  officers  went  among  the  slaughtered 
and  with  pistols  blew  out  the  brains  of  any  who  still 
moved. 


Oro  and  Arbuthnot  Travel  by  Night    297 

"  These  butchers,  you  say,  are  Germans  ? "  asked  Oro 
of  me. 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  sick  with  horror,  for  though  I 
was  in  the  mind  and  not  in  the  body,  I  could  feel  as  the 
mind  does.  Had  I  been  in  the  body  also,  I  should 
have  fainted. 

"  Then  we  need  not  waste  time  in  visiting  their 
country.  It  is  enough;  let  us  go  on." 

We  passed  out  into  the  open  land  and  came  to  a 
village.  It  was  in  the  occupation  of  German  cavalry. 
Two  of  them  held  a  little  girl  of  nine  or  ten,  one  by  her 
body,  the  other  by  her  right  hand.  An  officer  stood 
between  them  with  a  drawn  sword  fronting  the  terrified 
child.  He  was  a  horrible,  coarse-faced  man  who  looked 
to  me  as  though  he  had  been  drinking. 

"  I'll  teach  the  young  devil  to  show  us  the  wrong 
road  and  let  those  French  swine  escape,"  he  shouted, 
and  struck  with  the  sword.  The  girl's  right  hand  fell 
to  the  ground. 

"  War  as  practised  by  the  Germans ! "  remarked 
Oro.  Then  he  stepped,  or  seemed  to  step  up  to  the 
man  and  whispered,  or  seemed  to  whisper,  in  his  ear. 

I  do  not  know  what  tongue  or  what  spirit  speech  he 
used,  or  what  he  said,  but  the  bloated-faced  brute  turned 
pale.  Yes,  he  grew  sick  with  fear. 

"  I  think  there  are  spirits  in  this  place,"  he  said  with 
a  German  oath.  "  I  could  have  sworn  that  something 
told  me  that  I  was  going  to  die.  Mount !  " 

The  Uhlans  mounted  and  began  to  ride  away. 

"  Watch,"  said  Oro. 

As  he  spoke  out  of  a  dark  cloud  appeared  an 
aeroplane.  Its  pilot  saw  the  band  of  Germans  beneath 
and  dropped  a  bomb.  The  aim  was  good,  for  the 
missile  exploded  in  the  midst  of  them,  causing  a  great 


298  When  the  World  Shook 

cloud  of  dust  from  which  arose  the  screams  of  men  and 
horses. 

"Come  and  see,"  said  Oro. 

We  were  there.  Out  of  the  cloud  of  dust  appeared 
one  man  galloping  furiously.  He  was  a  young  fellow 
who,  as  I  noted,  had  turned  his  head  away  and  hidden 
his  eyes  with  his  hand  when  the  horror  was  done 
yonder.  All  the  others  were  dead  except  the  officer  who 
had  worked  the  deed.  He  was  still  living,  but  both  his 
hands  and  one  of  his  feet  had  been  blown  away.  Pre- 
sently he  died,  screaming  to  God  for  mercy. 

We  passed  on  and  came  to  a  barn  with  wide  doors 
that  swung  a  little  in  the  wind,  causing  the  rusted 
hinges  to  scream  like  a  creature  in  pain.  On  each  of 
these  doors  hung  a  dead  man  crucified.  The  hat  of  one 
of  them  lay  upon  the  ground,  antf  I  knew  from  the 
shape  of  it  that  he  was  a  Colonial  soldier. 

"  Did  you  not  tell  me,"  said  Oro  after  surveying 
them,  "  that  these  Germans  are  of  your  Christian 
faith?" 

"  Yes ;  and  the  Name  of  God  is  always  on  their 
ruler's  lips." 

"Ah!"  he  said,  "I  am  glad  that  I  worship  Fate. 
Bastin  the  priest  need  trouble  me  no  more." 

"  There  is  something  behind  Fate,"  I  said,  quoting 
Bastin  himself. 

"  Perhaps.  So  indeed  I  have  always  held,  but  after 
much  study  I  cannot  understand  the  manner  of  its 
working.  Fate  is  enough  for  me." 

We  went  on  and  came  to  a  flat  country  that  was 
lined  with  ditches,  all  of  them  full  of  men,  Germans  on 
one  side,  English  and  French  upon  the  other.  A 
terrible  bombardment  shook  the  earth,  the  shells  rain- 
ing upon  the  ditches.  Presently  that  from  the  English 


Oro  and  Arbuthnot  Travel  by  Night    299 

guns  ceased  and  out  of  the  trenches  in  front  of  them 
thousands  of  men  were  vomited,  who  ran  forward 
through  a  hail  of  fire  in  which  scores  and  hundreds 
fell,  across  an  open  piece  of  ground  that  was  pitted 
with  shell  craters.  They  came  to  barbed  wire  defenses, 
or  what  remained  of  them,  cut  the  wire  with  nippers 
and  pulled  up  the  posts.  Then  through  the  gaps  they 
surged  in,  shouting  and  hurling  hand  grenades.  They 
reached  the  German  trenches,  they  leapt  into  them  and 
from  those  holes  arose  a  hellish  din.  Pistols  were  fired 
and  everywhere  bayonets  flashed. 

Behind  them  rushed  a  horde  of  little,  dark-skinned 
men,  Indians  who  carried  great  knives  in  their  hands. 
Those  leapt  over  the  first  trench  and  running  on  with 
wild  yells,  dived  into  the  second,  those  who  were  left  of 
them,  and  there  began  hacking  with  their  knives  at  the 
defenders  and  the  soldiers  who  worked  the  spitting 
maxim  guns.  In  twenty  minutes  it  was  over;  those 
lines  of  trenches  were  taken,  and  once  more  from  either 
side  the  guns  began  to  boom. 

"  War  again,"  said  Oro,  "  clean,  honest  war,  such  as 
the  god  I  call  Fate  decrees  for  man.  I  have  seen 
enough.  Now  I  would  visit  those  whom  you  call 
Turks.  I  understand  they  have  another  worship  and 
perhaps  they  are  nobler  than  these  Christians." 

We  came  to  a  hilly  country  which  I  recognised  as 
Armenia,  for  once  I  travelled  there,  and  stopped  on  a 
seashore.  Here  were  the  Turks  in  thousands.  They 
were  engaged  in  driving  before  them  mobs  of  men, 
women  and  children  in  countless  numbers.  On  and  on 
they  drove  them  till  they  reached  the  shore.  There 
they  massacred  them  with  bayonets,  with  bullets,  or  by 
drowning.  I  remember  a  dreadful  scene  of  a  poor 
woman  standing  up  to  her  waist  in  the  water.  Three 


3<x>  When  the  World  Shook 

children  were  clinging  to  her — but  I  cannot  go  on, 
really  I  cannot  go  on.  In  the  end  a  Turk  waded  out 
and  bayoneted  her  while  she  strove  to  protect  the  last 
living  child  with  her  poor  body  whence  it  sprang. 

"  These,  I  understand,"  said  Oro,  pointing  to  the 
Turkish  soldiers,  "  worship  a  prophet  who  they  say  is 
the  voice  of  God." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  "  and  therefore  they  massacre 
these  who  are  Christians  because  they  worship  God  with- 
out a  prophet." 

"  And  what  do  the  Christians  massacre  each  other 
for?" 

"  Power  and  the  wealth  and  territories  that  are 
power.  That  is,  the  King  of  the  Germans  wishes  to 
rule  the  world,  but  the  other  Nations  do  not  desire  his 
dominion.  Therefore  they  fight  for  Liberty  and 
Justice." 

"  As  it  was,  so  it  is  and  shall  be,"  remarked  Oro, 
"  only  with  this  difference.  In  the  old  world  some  were 

wise,  but  here "  and  he  stopped,  his  eyes  fixed  upon 

the  Armenian  woman  struggling  in  her  death  agony 
while  the  murderer  drowned  her  child,  then  added :  "  Let 
us  go." 

Our  road  ran  across  the  sea.  On  it  we  saw  a  ship  so 
large  that  it  attracted  Oro's  attention,  and  for  once  he 
expressed  astonishment. 

"  In  my  day,"  he  said,  "  we  had  no  vessels  of  this 
greatness  in  the  world.  I  wish  to  look  upon  it." 

We  landed  on  the  deck  of  the  ship,  or  rather  the 
floating  palace,  and  examined  her.  She  carried  many 
passengers,  some  English,  some  American,  and  I 
pointed  out  to  Oro  the  differences  between  the  two 
peoples.  These  were  not,  he  remarked,  very  wide  except 
that  the  American  women  wore  more  jewels,  also  that 


Oro  and  Arbuthnot  Travel  by  Night    301 

some  of  the  American  men,  to  whom  we  listened  as 
they  conversed,  spoke  of  the  greatness  of  their  country, 
whereas  the  Englishmen,  if  they  said  anything  concern- 
ing it,  belittled  their  country. 

Presently,  on  the  surface  of  the  sea  at  a  little 
distance  appeared  something  strange,  a  small  and  omi- 
nous object  like  a  can  on  the  top  of  a  pole.  A  voice 
cried  out  "Submarine!"  and  everyone  near  rushed  to 
look. 

"If  those  Germans  try  any  of  their  monkey  tricks 
on  us,  I  guess  the  United  States  will  give  them  hell," 
said  another  voice  near  by. 

Then  from  the  direction  of  the  pole  with  the  tin  can 
on  the  top  of  it,  came  something  which  caused  a  dis- 
turbance in  the  smooth  water  and  bubbles  to  rise  in  its 
wake. 

"  A  torpedo !  "  cried  some. 

"  Shut  your  mouth,"  said  the  voice.  "  Who  dare 
torpedo  a  vessel  full  of  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States?" 

Next  came  a  booming  crash  and  a  flood  of  up- 
thrown  water,  in  the  wash  of  which  that  speaker  was 
carried  away  into  the  deep.  Then  horror!  horror! 
horror!  indescribable,  as  the  mighty  vessel  went  wal- 
lowing to  her  doom.  Boats  launched;  boats  overset; 
boats  dragged  under  by  her  rush  through  the  water 
which  could  not  be  stayed.  Maddened  men  and  women 
running  to  and  fro,  their  eyes  starting  from  their  heads, 
clasping  children,  fastening  lifebelts  over  their  costly 
gowns,  or  appearing  from  their  cabins,  their  hands  filled 
with  jewels  that  they  sought  to  save.  Orders  cried  from 
high  places  by  stern- faced  officers  doing  their  duty  to 
the  last.  And  a  little  way  off  that  thin  pole  with  a  tin 
can  on  the  top  of  it  watching  its  work. 


302  When  the  World  Shook 

Then  the  plunge  of  the  enormous  ship  into  the  deep, 
its  huge  screws  still  whirling  in  the  air  and  the  boom  of 
the  bursting  boilers.  Lastly  everything  gone  save  a  few 
boats  floating  on  the  quiet  sea  and  around  them  dots 
that  were  the  heads  of  struggling  human  beings. 

"  Let  us  go  home,"  said  Oro,  "  I  grow  tired  of  this 
war  of  your  Christian  peoples.  It  is  no  better  than  that 
of  the  barbarian  nations  of  the  early  world.  Indeed  it 
is  worse,  since  then  we  worshipped  Fate  and  but  a  few 
of  us  had  wisdom.  Now  you  all  claim  wisdom  and  de- 
clare that  you  worship  a  God  of  Mercy." 

With  these  words  still  ringing  in  my  ears  I  woke  up 
upon  the  Island  of  Orofena,  filled  with  terror  at  the 
horrible  possibilities  of  nightmare. 

What  else  could  it  be?  There  was  the  brown  and 
ancient  cone  of  the  extinct  volcano.  There  were  the  tall 
palms  of  the  main  island  and  the  lake  glittering  in  the 
sunlight  between.  There  was  Bastin  conducting  a  kind 
of  Sunday  school  of  Orofenans  upon  the  point  of  the 
Rock  of  Offerings,  as  now  he  had  obtained  the  leave  of 
Oro  to  do.  There  was  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  issuing 
from  it  Bickley,  who  by  help  of  one  of  the  hurricane 
lamps  had  been  making  an  examination  of  the  buried 
remains  of  what  he  supposed  to  be  flying  machines. 
Without  doubt  it  was  nightmare,  and  I  would  say  noth- 
ing to  them  about  it  for  fear  of  mockery. 

Yet  two  nights  later  Oro  came  again  and  after  the 
usual  preliminaries,  said: 

"  Humphrey,  this  night  we  will  visit  that  mighty 
American  nation,  of  which  you  have  told  me  so  much, 
and  the  other  Neutral  Countries. 

[At  this  point  there  is  a  gap  in  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  MS., 


Oro  and  Arbuthnot  Travel  by  Night    303 

so  Oro's  reflections  on  the  Neutral  Nations,  if  any,  re- 
main unrecorded.    It  continues :] 

On  our  homeward  way  we  passed  over  Australia, 
making  a  detour  to  do  so.  Of  the  cities  Oro  took  no 
account.  He  said  that  they  were  too  large  and  too  many, 
but  the  country  interested  him  so  much  that  I  gathered 
he  must  have  given  great  attention  to  agriculture  at  some 
time  in  the  past.  He  pointed  out  to  me  that  the  climate 
was  fine,  and  the  land  so  fertile  that  with  a  proper  sys- 
tem of  irrigation  and  water-storage  it  could  support  tens 
of  millions  and  feed  not  only  itself  but  a  great  part  of 
the  outlying  world. 

"  But  where  are  the  people  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Outside  of 
those  huge  hives,"  and  he  indicated  the  great  cities,  "  I 
see  few  of  them,  though  doubtless  some  of  the  men  are 
fighting  in  this  war.  Well,  in  the  days  to  come  this  must 
be  remedied." 

Over  New  Zealand,  which  he  found  beautiful,  he 
shook  his  head  for  the  same  reason. 

On  another  night  we  visited  the  East.  China  with 
its  teeming  millions  interested  him  extremely,  partly  be- 
cause he  declared  these  to  be  the  descendants  of  one  of 
the  barbarian  nations  of  his  own  day.  He  made  a  re- 
mark to  the  effect  that  this  race  had  always  possessed 
points  and  capacities,  and  that  he  thought  that  with 
proper  government  and  instruction  their  Chinese  off- 
spring would  be  of  use  in  a  regenerated  world. 

For  the  Japanese  and  all  that  they  had  done  in  two 
short  generations,  he  went  so  far  as  to  express  real  ad- 
miration, a  very  rare  thing  with  Oro,  who  was  by  nature 
critical.  I  could  see  that  mentally  he  put  a  white  mark 
against  their  name. 

India,  too,  really  moved  him.    He  admired  the  ancient 


304  When  the  World  Shook 

buildings  at  Delhi  and  Agra,  especially  the  Taj  Mahal. 
This,  he  declared,  was  reminiscent  of  some  of  the  palaces 
that  stood  at  Pani,  the  capital  city  of  the  Sons  of  Wis- 
dom, before  it  was  destroyed  by  the  Barbarians.  The 
English  administration  of  the  country  also  attracted  a 
word  of  praise  from  him,  I  think  because  of  its  rather 
autocratic  character.  Indeed  he  went  so  far  as  to  de- 
clare that,  with  certain  modifications,  it  should  be  con- 
tinued in  the  future,  and  even  to  intimate  that  he  would 
bear  the  matter  in  mind.  Democratic  forms  of  govern- 
ment had  no  charms  for  Oro. 

Amongst  other  places,  we  stopped  at  Benares  and 
watched  the  funeral  rites  in  progress  upon  the  banks  of 
the  holy  Ganges.  The  bearers  of  the  dead  brought  the 
body  of  a  woman  wrapped  in  a  red  shroud  that  glittered 
with  tinsel  ornaments.  Coming  forward  at  a  run  and 
chanting  as  they  ran,  they  placed  it  upon  the  stones  for  a 
little  while,  then  lifted  it  up  again  and  carried  it  down 
the  steps  to  the  edge  of  the  river.  Here  they  took  water 
and  poured  it  over  the  corpse,  thus  performing  the  rite 
of  the  baptism  of  death.  This  done,  they  placed  its  feet 
in  the  water  and  left  it  looking  very  small  and  lonely. 
Presently  appeared  a  tall,  white-draped  woman  who  took 
her  stand  by  the  body  and  wailed.  It  was  the  dead  one's 
mother.  Again  the  bearers  approached  and  laid  the 
corpse  upon  the  flaming  pyre. 

"  These  rites  are  ancient,"  said  Oro.  "  When  I  ruled 
as  King  of  the  World  they  were  practised  in  this  very 
place.  It  is  pleasant  to  me  to  find  something  that  has 
survived  the  change  fulness  of  Time.  Let  it  continue  till 
the  end." 

Here  I  will  cease.  These  experiences  that  I  have 
recorded  are  but  samples,  for  also  we  visited  Russia  and 


Oro  and  Arbuthnot  Travel  by  Night    305 

other  countries.  Perhaps,  too,  they  were  not  experi- 
ences at  all,  but  only  dreams  consequent  on  my  state  of 
health.  I  cannot  say  for  certain,  though  much  of  what 
I  seemed  to  see  fitted  in  very  well  indeed  with  what  I 
learned  in  after  days,  and  certainly  at  the  time  they  ap- 
peared as  real  as  though  Oro  and  I  had  stood  together 
upon  those  various  shores. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

LOVE'S   ETERNAL   ALTAR 

Now  of  all  these  happenings  I  said  very  little  to  Bastin 
and  Bickley.  The  former  would  not  have  understood 
them,  and  the  latter  attributed  what  I  did  tell  him  to 
mental  delusions  following  on  my  illness.  To  Yva  I  did 
speak  about  them,  however,  imploring  her  to  explain 
their  origin  and  to  tell  me  whether  or  not  they  were  but 
visions  of  the  night. 

She  listened  to  me,  as  I  thought  not  without 
anxiety,  from  which  I  gathered  that  she  too  feared  for 
my  mind.  It  was  not  so,  however,  for  she  said : 

"  I  am  glad,  O  Humphrey,  that  your  journeyings 
are  done,  since  such  things  are  not  without  danger. 
He  who  travels  far  out  of  the  body  may  chance  to  re- 
turn there  no  more." 

"But  were  they  journeyings,  or  dreams?"  I  asked. 

She  evaded  a  direct  answer. 

"  I  cannot  say.  My  father  has  great  powers.  I  do 
not  know  them  all.  It  is  possible  that  they  were  neither 
journeyings  nor  dreams.  Mayhap  he  used  you  as  the 
sorcerers  in  the  old  days  used  the  magic  glass,  and 
after  he  had  put  his  spell  upon  you,  read  in  your  mind 
that  which  passes  elsewhere." 

I  understood  her  to  refer  to  what  we  call  clairvoy- 
ance, when  the  person  entranced  reveals  secret  or 
distant  things  to  the  entrancer.  This  is  a  more  or  less 
established  phenomenon  and  much  less  marvellous  than 
the  actual  transportation  of  the  spiritual  self  through 

306 


Love's  Eternal  Altar  307 

space.  Only  I  never  knew  of  an  instance  in  which 
the  seer,  on  awaking,  remembered  the  things  that  he 
had  seen,  as  in  my  case.  There,  however,  the  matter 
rested,  or  rests,  for  I  could  extract  nothing  more  from 
Yva,  who  appeared  to  me  to  have  her  orders  on  the 
point. 

Nor  did  Oro  ever  talk  of  what  I  had  seemed  to  see 
in  his  company,  although  he  continued  from  time  to 
time  to  visit  me  at  night.  But  now  our  conversation 
was  of  other  matters.  As  Bastin  had  discovered,  by 
some  extraordinary  gift  he  had  soon  learned  how  to 
read  the  English  language,  although  he  never  spoke  a 
single  word  in  that  tongue.  Among  our  reference  books 
that  we  brought  from  the  yacht,  was  a  thin  paper  edition 
of  the  Encyclopedia  Britannica,  which  he  borrowed 
when  he  discovered  that  it  contained  compressed  in- 
formation about  the  various  countries  of  the  world,  also 
concerning  almost  every  other  matter.  My  belief  is  that 
within  a  month  or  so  that  marvellous  old  man  not  only 
read  this  stupendous  work  from  end  to  end,  but  that  he 
remembered  everything  of  interest  which  it  contained. 
At  least,  he  would  appear  and  show  the  fullest  acquaint- 
ance with  certain  subjects  or  places,  seeking  further 
light  from  me  concerning  them,  which  very  often  I  was 
quite  unable  to  give  him. 

An  accident,  as  it  chanced,  whereof  I  need  not  set 
out  the  details,  caused  me  to  discover  that  his  remark- 
able knowledge  was  limited.  Thus,  at  one  period,  he 
knew  little  about  any  modern  topic  which  began  with  a 
letter  later  in  the  alphabet  than,  let  us  say,  C.  A  few 
days  afterwards  he  was  acquainted  with  those  up  to  F, 
or  G;  and  so  on  till  he  reached  Z,  when  he  appeared  to 
me  to  know  everything,  and  returned  the  book.  Now, 
indeed,  he  was  a  monument  of  learning,  very  ancient 


308  When  the  World  Shook 

and  very  new,  and  with  some  Encyclopaedia-garnered 
facts  or  deductions  of  what  had  happened  between. 

Moreover,  he  took  to  astronomical  research,  for  more 
than  once  we  saw  him  standing  on  the  rock  at  night 
studying  the  heavens.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  when 
he  had  the  two  metal  plates,  of  which  I  have  spoken,  in 
his  hands,  I  ventured  to  approach  and  ask  what  he  did. 
He  replied  that  he  was  checking  his  calculations  that  he 
found  to  be  quite  correct,  an  exact  period  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  years  having  gone  by  since  he  laid 
himself  down  to  sleep.  Then,  by  aid  of  the  plates,  he 
pointed  out  to  me  certain  alterations  that  had  hap- 
pened during  that  period  in  the  positions  of  some  of 
the  stars. 

For  instance,  he  showed  me  one  which,  by  help  of 
my  glasses,  I  recognised  as  Sirius,  and  remarked  that 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  years  ago  it  was  further 
away  and  much  smaller.  Now  it  was  precisely  in  the 
place  and  of  the  size  which  he  had  predicted,  and  he 
pointed  to  it  on  his  prophetic  map.  Again  he  indicated 
a  star  that  the  night-glass  told  me  was  Capella,  which, 
I  suppose,  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  stars  in  the  sky, 
and  showed  me  that  on  the  map  he  had  made  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  years  ago,  it  did  not  exist,  as 
then  it  was  too  far  north  to  appear  thereon.  Still,  he  ob- 
served, the  passage  of  this  vast  period  of  time  had  pro- 
duced but  little  effect  upon  the  face  of  the  heavens.  To 
the  human  eye  the  majority  of  the  stars  had  not  moved 
so  very'  far. 

"And  yet  they  travel  fast,  O  Humphrey,"  he  said. 
"  Consider  then  how  great  is  their  journey  between  the 
time  they  gather  and  that  day  when,  worn-out,  once 
more  they  melt  to  vaporous  gas.  You  think  me  long- 
lived  who  compared  to  them  exist  but  a  tiny  fraction  of 


Love's  Eternal  Altar     .  309 

a  second,  nearly  all  of  which  I  have  been  doomed  to 
pass  in  sleep.  And,  Humphrey,  I  desire  to  live — I,  who 
have  great  plans  and  would  shake  the  world.  But  my 
day  draws  in;  a  few  brief  centuries  and  I  shall  be  gone, 
and — whither,  whither  ?  " 

"If  you  lived  as  long  as  those  stars,  the  end  would; 
be  the  same,  Oro." 

"  Yes,  but  the  life  of  the  stars  is  very  long,  millions 
of  millions  of  years;  also,  after  death,  they  re-form,  as 
other  stars.  But  shall  I  re-form  as  another  Oro?  With 
all  my  wisdom,  I  do  not  know.  It  is  known  to  Fate 
only — Fate — the  master  of  worlds  and  men  and  the  gods 
they  worship — Fate,  whom  it  may  please  to  spill  my 
gathered  knowledge,  to  be  lost  in  the  sands  of  Time." 

"  It  seems  that  you  are  great,"  I  said,  "  and  have 
lived  long  and  learned  much.  Yet  the  end  of  it  is  that 
your  lot  is  neither  worse  nor  better  than  that  of  us 
creatures  of  an  hour." 

"  It  is  so,  Humphrey.  Presently  you  will  die,  and 
within  a  few  centuries  I  shall  die  also  and  be  as  you 
are.  You  believe  that  you  will  live  again  eternally.  It 
may  be  so  because  you  do  believe,  since  Fate  allows 
Faith  to  shape  the  future,  if  only  for  a  little  while.  But 
in  me  Wisdom  has  destroyed  Faith  and  therefore  I  must 
die.  Even  if  I  sleep  again  for  tens  of  thousands  of  years, 
what  will  it  help  me,  seeing  that  sleep  is  unconsciousness 
and  that  I  shall  only  wake  again  to  die,  since  sleep  does 
not  restore  to  us  our  youth  ?  " 

He  ceased,  and  walked  up  and  down  the  rock  with 
a  troubled  mien.  Then  he  stood  in  front  of  me  and  said 
in  a  triumphant  voice : 

"  At  least,  while  I  live  I  will  rule,  and  then  let  come 
what  may  come.  I  know  that  you  do  not  believe,  and 
the  first  victory  of  this  new  day  of  mine  shall  be  to 


310  When  tjie  World  Shook 

make  you  believe.  I  have  great  powers  and  you  shall 
see  them  at  work,  and  afterwards,  if  things  go  right, 
rule  with  me  for  a  little  while,  perhaps,  as  the  first  of 
my  subjects.  Hearken  now;  in  one  small  matter  my 
calculations,  made  so  long  ago,  have  gone  wrong.  They 
showed  me  that  at  this  time  a  day  of  earthquakes,  such 
as  those  that  again  and  again  have  rocked  and  split  the 
world,  would  recur.  But  now  it  seems  that  there  is  an 
error,  a  tiny  error  of  eleven  hundred  years,  which  must 
go  by  before  those  earthquakes  come." 

"  Are  you  sure,"  I  suggested  humbly,  "  that  there 
is  not  also  an  error  in  those  star-maps  you  hold  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure,  Humphrey.  Some  day,  who  knows  ? 
you  may  return  to  your  world  of  modern  men  who,  I 
gather,  have  knowledge  of  the  great  science  of  astron- 
omy. Take  now  these  maps  with  which  I  have  done, 
and  submit  them  to  the  most  learned  of  those  men,  and 
let  them  tell  you  whether  I  was  right  or  wrong  in  what 
I  wrote  upon  this  metal  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
years  ago.  Whatever  else  is  false,  at  least  the  stars  in 
their  motions  can  never  die." 

Then  he  handed  me  the  maps  and  was  gone.  I  have 
fhem  to-day,  and  if  ever  this  book  is  published,  they 
will  appear  with  it,  that  those  who  are  qualified  may 
judge  of  them  and  of  the  truth  or  otherwise  of  Oro's 
words. 

From  that  night  forward  for  quite  a  long  time  I  saw 
Oro  no  more.  Nor  indeed  did  any  of  us,  since  for  some 
reason  of  his  own  he  forbade  us  to  visit  the  underground 
city  of  Nyo.  Oddly  enough,  however,  he  commanded 
Yva  to  bring  down  the  spaniel,  Tommy,  to  be  with  him 
from  time  to  time.  When  I  asked  her  why,  she  said  it 
was  because  he  was  lonely  and  desired  the  dog's  com- 


Love's  Eternal  Altar  311 

panionship.  It  seemed  to  us  very  strange  that  this 
super-man,  who  had  the  wisdom  of  ten  Solomons 
gathered  in  one  within  his  breast,  should  yet  desire 
the  company  of  a  little  dog.  What  then  was  the 
worth  of  learning  and  long  life,  or,  indeed,  of  any- 
thing? Well,  Solomon  himself  asked  the  question 
ages  since,  and  could  give  no  answer  save  that  all  is 
vanity. 

I  noted  about  this  time  that  Yva  began  to  grow  very 
sad  and  troubled;  indeed,  looking  at  her  suddenly  on 
two  or  three  occasions,  I  saw  that  her  beautiful  eyes 
were  aswim  with  tears.  Also,  I  noted  that  always  as 
she  grew  sadder  she  became,  in  a  sense,  more  human. 
In  the  beginning  she  was,  as  it  were,  far  away.  One 
could  never  forget  that  she  was  the  child  of  some  alien 
race  whose  eyes  had  looked  upon  the  world  when,  by 
comparison,  humanity  was  young;  at  times,  indeed,  she 
might  have  been  the  denizen  of  another  planet,  strayed 
to  earth.  Although  she  never  flaunted  it,  one  felt  that 
her  simplest  word  hid  secret  wisdom;  that  to  her  books 
were  open  in  which  we  could  not  read.  Moreover,  as 
I  have  said,  occasionally  power  flamed  out  of  her,  power 
that  was  beyond  our  ken  and  understanding. 

Yet  with  all  this  there  was  nothing  elfish  about  her, 
nothing  uncanny.  She  was  always  kind,  and,  as  we 
could  feel,  innately  good  and  gentle-hearted,  just  a 
woman  made  half -divine  by  gifts  and  experience  that 
others  lack.  She  did  not  even  make  use  of  her  wondrous 
beauty  to  madden  men,  as  she  might  well  have  done  had 
she  been  so  minded.  It  is  true  that  both  Bastin  and 
Bickley  fell  in  love  with  her,  but  that  was  only  because 
all  with  whom  she  had  to  do  must  love  her,  and  then, 
when  she  told  them  that  it  might  not  be,  it  was  in  such 
a  fashion  that  no  soreness  was  left  behind.  They  went 


312  When  the  World  Shook 

on  loving  her,  that  was  all,  but  as  men  love  their  sisters 
or  their  daughters ;  as  we  conceive  that  they  may  love  in 
that  land  where  there  is  no  marrying  or  giving  in 
marriage. 

But  now,  in  her  sadness,  she  drew  ever  nearer  to  us, 
and  especially  to  myself,  more  in  tune  with  our  age  and 
thought.  In  truth,  save  for  her  royal  and  glittering 
loveliness  in  which  there  was  some  quality  which  pro- 
claimed her  of  another  blood,  and  for  that  reserve  of 
hidden  power  which  at  times  would  look  out  of  her  eyes 
or  break  through  her  words,  she  might  in  most  ways 
have  been  some  singularly  gifted  and  beautiful  modern 
woman. 

The  time  has  come  when  I  must  speak  of  my  relations 
with  Yva  and  of  their  climax.  As  may  have  been 
guessed,  from  the  first  I  began  to  love  her.  While  the 
weeks  went  on  that  love  grew  and  grew,  until  it  utterly 
possessed  me,  although  for  a  certain  reason  connected 
with  one  dead,  at  first  I  fought  against  it.  Yet  it  did 
not  develop  quite  in  the  fashion  that  might  have  been 
expected.  There  was  no  blazing  up  of  passion's  fire; 
rather  was  there  an  ever-increasing  glow  of  the  holiest 
affection,  till  at  last  it  became  a  lamp  by  which  I  must 
guide  my  feet  through  life  and  death.  This  love  of 
mine  seemed  not  of  earth  but  from  the  stars.  As  yet  I 
had  said  nothing  to  her  of  it  because  in  some  way  I  felt 
that  she  did  not  wish  me  to  do  so,  felt  also  that  she  was 
well  aware  of  all  that  passed  within  my  heart,  and 
desired,  as  it  were,  to  give  it  time  to  ripen  there.  Then 
one  day  there  came  a  change,  and  though  no  glance  or 
touch  of  Yva's  told  me  so,  I  knew  that  the  bars  were 
taken  down  and  that  I  might  speak. 

It  was  a  night  of  full  moon.    All  that  afternoon  she 


Love's  Eternal  Altar  313 

had  been  talking  to  Bastin  apart,  I  suppose  about 
religion,  for  I  saw  that  he  had  some  books  in  his  hand 
from  which  he  was  expounding  something  to  her  in  his 
slow,  earnest  way.  Then  she  came  and  sat  with  us 
while  we  took  our  evening  meal.  I  remember  that  mine 
consisted  of  some  of  the  Life-water  which  she  had 
brought  with  her  and  fruit,  for,  as  I  think  I  have  said, 
I  had  acquired  her  dislike  to  meat,  also  that  she  ate 
some  plantains,  throwing  the  skins  for  Tommy  to  fetch 
and  laughing  at  his  play.  When  it  was  over,  Bastin 
and  Bickley  went  away  together,  whether  by  chance  or 
design  I  do  not  know,  and  she  said  to  me  suddenly : 

"  Humphrey,  you  have  often  asked  me  about  the  city 
Pani,  of  which  a  little  portion  of  the  ruins  remains  upon 
this  island,  the  rest  being  buried  beneath  the  waters.  If 
you  wish  I  will  show  you  where  our  royal  palace  was 
before  the  barbarians  destroyed  it  with  their  airships. 
The  moon  is  very  bright,  and  by  it  we  can  see." 

I  nodded,  for,  knowing  what  she  meant,  somehow  I 
could  not  answer  her,  and  we  began  the  ascent  of  the 
hill.  She  explained  to  me  the  plan  of  the  palace  when 
we  reached  the  ruins,  showing  me  where  her  own  apart- 
ments had  been,  and  the  rest.  It  was  very  strange  to 
hear  her  quietly  telling  of  buildings  which  had  stood 
and  of  things  that  had  happened  over  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  years  before,  much  as  any  modern  lady 
might  do  of  a  house  that  had  been  destroyed  a  month 
ago  by  an  earthquake  or  a  Zeppelin  bomb,  while  she 
described  the  details  of  a  disaster  which  now  frightened 
her  no  more.  I  think  it  was  then  that  for  the  first  time 
I  really  began  to  believe  that  in  fact  Yva  had  lived  all 
those  seons  since  and  been  as  she  still  appeared. 

We  passed  from  the  palace  to  the  ruins  of  the  temple, 
through  what,  as  she  said,  had  been  a  pleasure-garden, 


314  When  the  World  Shook 

pointing  out  where  a  certain  avenue  of  rare  palms  had 
grown,  down  which  once  it  was  her  habit  to  walk  in  the 
cool  of  the  day.  Or,  rather,  there  were  two  terraced 
temples,  one  dedicated  to  Fate  like  that  in  the  under- 
ground city  of  Nyo,  and  the  other  to  Love.  Of  the 
temple  to  Fate  she  told  me  her  father  had  been  the  High 
Priest,  and  of  the  temple  to  Love  she  was  the  High 
Priestess. 

Then  it  was  that  I  understood  why  she  had  brought 
me  here. 

She  led  the  way  to  a  marble  block  covered  with  worn- 
out  carvings  and  almost  buried  in  the  debris.  This,  she 
said,  was  the  altar  of  offerings.  I  asked  her  what  offer- 
ings, and  she  replied  with  a  smile : 

"  Only  wine,  to  signify  the  spirit  of  life,  and  flowers 
to  symbolise  its  fragrance,"  and  she  laid  her  finger  on 
a  cup-like  depression,  still  apparent  in  the  marble,  into 
which  the  wine  was  poured. 

Indeed,  I  gathered  that  there  was  nothing  coarse  or 
bacchanalian  about  this  worship  of  a  prototype  of 
Aphrodite;  on  the  contrary,  that  it  was  more  or 
less  spiritual  and  ethereal.  We  sat  down  on  the  altar 
stone.  I  wondered  a  little  that  she  should  have  done  so, 
but  she  read  my  thought,  and  answered : 

"  Sometimes  we  change  our  faiths,  Humphrey,  or 
perhaps  they  grow.  Also,  have  I  not  told  you  that 
sacrifices  were  offered  on  this  altar  ?  "  and  she  sighed 
and  smiled. 

I  do  not  know  which  was  the  sweeter,  the  smile  or 
the  sigh. 

We  looked  at  the  water  glimmering  in  the  crater 
beneath  us  on  the  edge  of  which  we  sat.  We  looked  at 
heaven  above  in  which  the  great  moon  sailed  royally. 
Then  we  looked  into  each  other's  eyes. 


Love's  Eternal  Altar  315 

* 

"  I  love  you,"  I  said. 

"  I  know  it,"  she  answered  gently.  "  You  have  loved 
me  from  the  first,  have  you  not?  Even  when  I  lay 
asleep  in  the  coffin  you  began  to  love  me,  but  until  you 
dreamed  a  certain  dream  you  would  not  admit  it." 

"  Yva,  what  was  the  meaning  of  that  dream  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  say,  Humphrey.  But  I  tell  you  this.  As 
you  will  learn  in  time,  one  spirit  may  be  clothed  in 
different  garments  of  the  flesh." 

I  did  not  understand  her,  but,  in  some  strange  way, 
her  words  brought  to  my  mind  those  that  Natalie  spoke 
at  the  last,  and  I  answered: 

"  Yva,  when  my  wife  lay  dying  she  bade  me  seek  her 
elsewhere,  for  certainly  I  should  find  her.  Doubtless 
she  meant  beyond  the  shores  of  death — or  perhaps  she 
also  dreamed." 

She  bent  her  head,  looking  at  me  very  strangely. 

"  Your  wife,  too,  may  have  had  the  gift  of  dreams, 
Humphrey.  As  you  dream  and  I  dream,  so  mayhap 
she  dreamed.  Of  dreams,  then,  let  us  say  no  more,  since 
I  think  that  they  have  served  their  purpose,  and  all  three 
of  us  understand." 

Then  I  stretched  out  my  arms,  and  next  instant  my 
head  lay  upon  her  perfumed  breast.  She  lifted  it  and 
kissed  me  on  the  lips,  saying: 

"  With  this  kiss  again  I  give  myself  to  you.  But 
oh!  Humphrey,  do  not  ask  too  much  of  the  god  of 
my  people,  Fate,"  and  she  looked  me  in  the  eyes  and 
sighed. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  I  asked,  trembling. 

"  Many,  many  things.  Among  them,  that  happiness 
is  not  for  mortals,  and  remember  that  though  my  life 
began  long  ago,  I  am  mortal  as  you  are,  and  that  in 
eternity  time  makes  no  difference." 


3i6  When  the  World  Shook 

"And  if  so,  Yva,  what  then?  Do  we  meet  but  to 
part?" 

"Who  said  it?  Not  I.  Humphrey,  I  tell  you  this. 
Nor  earth,  nor  heaven,  nor  hell  have  any  bars  through 
which  love  cannot  burst  its  way  towards  re-union  and 
completeness.  Only  there  must  be  love,  manifested  in 
many  shapes  and  at  many  times,  but  ever  striving  to 
its  end,  which  is  not  of  the  flesh.  Aye,  love  that  has 
lost  itself,  love  scorned,  love  defeated,  love  that  seems 
false,  love  betrayed,  love  gone  astray,  love  wandering 
through  the  worlds,  love  asleep  and  living  in  its  sleep, 
love  awake  and  yet  sleeping;  all  love  that  has  in  it  the 
germ  of  life.  It  matters  not  what  form  love  takes.  If 
it  be  true  I  tell  you  that  it  will  win  its  way,  and  in  the 
many  that  it  has  seemed  to  worship,  still  find  the  one, 
though  perchance  not  here." 

At  her  words  a  numb  fear  gripped  my  heart. 

"  Not  here?    Then  where?  "  I  said. 

"Ask  your  dead  wife,  Humphrey.  Ask  the  dumb 
stars.  Ask  the  God  you  worship,  for  I  cannot  answer, 
save  in  one  word — Somewhere!  Man,  be  not  afraid. 
Do  you  think  that  such  as  you  and  I  can  be  lost  in  the 
aching  abysms  of  space?  I  know  but  little,  yet  I  tell 
you  that  we  are  its  rulers.  I  tell  you  that  we,  too,  are 
gods,  if  only  we  can  aspire  and  belive.  For  the  doubt- 
ing and  timid  there  is  naught.  For  those  who  see  with 
the  eyes  of  the  soul  and  stretch  out  their  hands  to  grasp 
there  is  all.  Even  Bastin  will  tell  you  this." 

"  But,"  I  said,  "  life  is  short.  Those  worlds  are  far 
away,  and  you  are  near." 

She  became  wonderful,  mysterious. 

"  Near  I  am  far,"  she  said ;  "  and  far  I  am  near,  if 
only  this  love  of  yours  is  strong  enough  to  follow  and 
to  clasp.  And,  Humphrey,  it  needs  strength,  for  here 


Love's  Eternal  Altar  317 

I  am  afraid  that  it  will  bear  little  of  such  fruit  as  men 
desire  to  pluck." 

Again  terror  took  hold  of  me,  and  I  looked  at  her, 
for  I  did  not  know  what  to  say  or  ask. 

"  Listen,"  she  went  on.  "  Already  my  father  has 
offered  me  to  you  in  marriage,  has  he  not,  but  at  a  price 
which  you  do  not  understand?  Believe  me,  it  is  one 
that  you  should  never  pay,  since  the  rule  of  the  world 
can  be  too  dearly  bought  by  the  slaughter  of  half  the 
world.  And  if  you  would  pay  it,  I  cannot" 

"  But  this  is  madness !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  Your  father 
has  no  powers  over  our  earth." 

"  I  would  that  I  could  think  so,  Humphrey.  I  tell 
you  that  he  has  powers  and  that  it  is  his  purpose  to  use 
them  as  he  has  done  before.  You,  too,  he  would  use, 
and  me." 

"  And,  if  so,  Yva,  we  are  lords  of  ourselves.  Let  us 
take  each  other  while  we  may.  Bastin  is  a  priest." 

"  Lords  of  ourselves !  Why,  for  ought  I  know,  at 
this  very  moment  Oro  watches  us  in  his  thought  and 
laughs.  Only  in  death,  Humphrey,  shall  we  pass  be- 
yond his  reach  and  become  lords  of  ourselves." 

"  It  is  monstrous !  "  I  cried.  "  There  is  the  boat,  let 
us  fly  away." 

"  What  boat  can  bear  us  out  of  stretch  of  the  arm 
of  the  old  god  of  my  people,  Fate,  whereof  Oro  is  the 
high  priest?  Nay,  here  we  must  wait  our  doom." 

"Doom,"  I  said — "doom?  What  then  is  about  to 
happen  ?  " 

"  A  terrible  thing,  as  I  think,  Humphrey.  Or, 
rather,  it  will  not  happen." 

"Why  not,  if  it  must?" 

"  Beloved,"  she  whispered,  "  Bastin  has  expounded 
to  me  a  new  faith  whereof  the  master-word  is  Sacrifice. 


318  When  the  World  Shook 

The  terrible  thing  will  not  happen  because  of  sacrifice! 
Ask  me  no  more." 

She  mused  a  while,  seated  there  in  the  moonlight 
upon  the  ancient  altar  of  sacrifice,  the  veil  she  wore 
falling  about  her  face  and  making  her  mysterious.  Then 
she  threw  it  back,  showing  her  lovely  eyes  and  glittering 
hair,  and  laughed. 

"  We  have  still  an  earthly  hour,"  she  said;  "  therefore 
let  us  forget  the  far,  dead  past  and  the  eternities  to  come 
and  be  joyful  in  that  hour.  Now  throw  your  arms  about 
me  and  I  will  tell  you  strange  stories  of  lost  days,  and 
you  shall  look  into  my  eyes  and  learn  wisdom,  and  you 
shall  kiss  my  lips  and  taste  of  bliss — you,  who  were  and 
are  and  shall  be — you,  the  beloved  of  Yva  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  Time." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  COMMAND 

I  THINK  that  both  Bastin  and  Bickley,  by  instinct  as 
it  were,  knew  what  had  passed  between  Yva  and  myself 
and  that  she  had  promised  herself  to  me.  They  showed 
this  by  the  way  in  which  they  avoided  any  mention  of 
her  name.  Also  they  began  to  talk  of  their  own  plans 
for  the  future  as  matters  in  which  I  had  no  part.  Thus 
I  heard  them  discussing  the  possibility  of  escape  from 
the  island  whereof  suddenly  they  seemed  to  have  grown 
weary,  and  whether  by  any  means  two  men  (two,  not 
three)  could  manage  to  sail  and  steer  the  lifeboat  that 
remained  upon  the  wreck.  In  short,  as  in  all  such  cases, 
the  woman  had  come  between;  also  the  pressure  of  a 
common  loss  caused  them  to  forget  their  differences  and 
to  draw  closer  together.  I  who, had  succeeded  where 
they  both  had  failed,  was,  they  seemed  to  think,  out  of 
their  lives,  so  much  that  our  ancient  intimacy  had  ended. 

This  attitude  hurt  me,  perhaps  because  in  many 
respects  the  situation  was  awkward.  They  had,  it  is 
true,  taken  their  failures  extremely  well,  still  the  fact 
remained  that  both  of  them  had  fallen  in  love  with  the 
wonderful  creature,  woman  and  yet  more  than  woman, 
who  had  bound  herself  to  me.  How  then  could  we  go 
on  living  together,  I  in  prospective  possession  of  the 
object  that  all  had  desired,  and  they  without  the  pale? 

Moreover,  they  were  jealous  in  another  and  quite  a 
different  fashion  because  they  both  loved  me  in  their 
own  ways  and  were  convinced  that  I  who  had  hitherto 

319 


32<o  When  the  World  Shook 

loved  them,  henceforward  should  have  no  affection  left 
to  spare,  since  surely  this  Glittering  Lady,  this  marvel 
of  wisdom  and  physical  perfections  would  take  it  all. 
Of  course  they  were  in  error,  since  even  if  I  could  have 
been  so  base  and  selfish,  this  was  no  conduct  that  Yva 
would  have  wished  or  even  suffered.  Still  that  was 
their  thought. 

Mastering  the  situation  I  reflected  a  little  while  and 
then  spoke  straight  out  to  them. 

"  My  friends,"  I  said,  "  as  I  see  that  you  have 
guessed,  Yva  and  I  are  affianced  to  each  other  and  love 
each  other  perfectly." 

"  Yes,  Arbuthnot,"  said  Bastin,  "  we  saw  that  in 
your  face,  and  in  hers  as  she  bade  us  good  night  before 
she  went  into  the  cave,  and  we  congratulate  you  and 
wish  you  every  happiness." 

"  We  wish  you  every  happiness,  old  fellow,"  chimed 
in  Bickley.  He  paused  a  while,  then  added,  "  But  to 
be  honest,  I  am  not  sure  that  I  congratulate  you." 

"Why  not,  Bickley?" 

"  Not  for  the  reason  that  you  may  suspect,  Arbuth- 
not, I  mean  not  because  you  have  won  where  we  have 
lost,  as  it  was  only  to  be  expected  that  you  would  do,  but 
on  account  of  something  totally  different.  I  told  you 
a  while  ago  and  repetition  is  useless  and  painful.  I  need 
only  add  therefore  that  since  then  my  conviction  has 
strengthened  and  I  am  sure,  sorry  as  I  am  to  say  it, 
that  in  this  matter  you  must  prepare  for  disappointment 
and  calamity.  That  woman,  if  woman  she  really  is, 
will  never  be  the  wife  of  mortal  man.  Now  be  angry 
with  me  if  you  like,  or  laugh  as  you  have  the  right  to 
do,  seeing  that  like  Bastin  and  yourself,  I  also  asked 
her  to  marry  me,  but  something  makes  me  speak  what 
I  believe  to  be  the  truth." 


The  Command  321 

"  Like  Cassandra,"  I  suggested. 

"  Yes,  like  Cassandra  who  was  not  a  popular  per- 
son." 

At  first  I  was  inclined  to  resent  Bickley's  words — who 
would  not  have  been  in  the  circumstances?  Then  of  a 
sudden  there  rushed  in  upon  my  mind  the  conviction 
that  he  spoke  the  truth.  In  this  world  Yva  was  not  for 
me  or  any  man.  Moreover  she  knew  it,  the  knowledge 
peeped  out  of  every  word  she  spoke  in  our  passionate 
love  scene  by  the  lake.  She  was  aware,  and  sub- 
consciously I  was  aware,  that  we  were  plighting  our 
troth,  not  for  time  but  for  eternity.  With  time  we  had 
little  left  to  do ;  not  for  long  would  she  wear  the  ring  I 
gave  her  on  that  holy  night. 

Even  Bastin,  whose  perceptions  normally  were  not 
acute,  felt  that  the  situation  was  strained  and  awkward' 
and  broke  in  with  a  curious  air  of  forced  satisfaction : 

"  It's  uncommonly  lucky  for  you,  old  boy,  that  you 
happen  to  have  a  clergyman  in  your  party,  as  I  shall 
be  able  to  marry  you  in  a  respectable  fashion.  Of 
course  I  can't  say  that  the  Glittering  Lady  is  as  yet 
absolutely  converted  to  our  faith,  but  I  am  certain  that 
she  has  absorbed  enough  of  its  principles  to  justify  me 
in  uniting  her  in  Christian  wedlock." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  "  she  has  absorbed  its  principles ; 
she  told  me  as  much  herself.  Sacrifice,  for  instance," 
and  as  I  spoke  the  word  my  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

"  Sacrifice !  "  broke  in  Bickley  with  an  angry  snort, 
for  he  needed  a  vent  to  his  mental  disturbance.  "  Rub- 
bish. Why  should  every  religion  demand  sacrifice  as 
savages  do?  By  it  alone  they  stand  condemned." 

"  Because  as  I  think,  sacrifice  is  the  law  of  life,  at 
least  of  all  life  that  is  worth  the  living,"  I  answered 
sadly  enough.  "  Anyhow  I  believe  you  are  right,  Bick- 


322  When  the  World  Shook 

ley,  and  that  Bastin  will  not  be  troubled  to  marry  us." 
"  You  don't  mean,"  broke  in  Bastin  with  a  horrified 

air,  "  that  you  propose  to  dispense " 

"  No,  Bastin,  I  don't  mean  that.  What  I  mean 
is  that  it  comes  upon  me  that  something  will  prevent 
this  marriage.  Sacrifice,  perhaps,  though  in  what  shape 
I  do  not  know.  And  now  good  night.  I  am  tired." 

That  night  in  the  chill  dead  hour  before  the  dawn 
Oro  came  again.  I  woke  up  to  see  him  seated  by  my 
bed,  majestic,  and,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  lambent,  though 
this  may  have  been  my  imagination. 

"  You  take  strange  liberties  with  my  daughter,  Bar- 
barian, or  she  takes  strange  liberties  with  you,  it  does 
not  matter  which,"  he  said,  regarding  me  with  his  calm 
and  terrible  eyes. 

"  Why  do  you  presume  to  call  me  Barbarian  ? "  I 
asked,  avoiding  the  main  issue. 

"  For  this  reason,  Humphrey.  All  men  are  the 
same.  They  have  the  same  organs,  the  same  instincts, 
the  same  desires,  which  in  essence  are  but  two,  food  and 
rebirth  that  Nature  commands;  though  it  is  true  that 
millions  of  years  before  I  was  born,  as  I  have  learned 
from  the  records  of  the  Sons  of  Wisdom,  it  was  said  that 
they  were  half  ape.  Yet  being  the  same  there  is  between 
them  a  whole  sea  of  difference,  since  some  have  know- 
ledge and  others  none,  or  little.  Those  who  have  none 
or  little,  among  whom  you  must  be  numbered,  are  Bar- 
barians. Those  who  have  much,  among  whom  my 
daughter  and  I  are  the  sole  survivors,  are  the  In- 
structed." 

"  There  are  nearly  two  thousand  millions  of  living 
people  in  this  world,"  I  said,  "  and  you  name  all  of  them 
Barbarians  ?  " 


The  Command  323 

"  All,  Humphrey,  excepting,  of  course,  myself  and 
my  daughter  who  are  not  known  to  be  alive.  You 
think  that  you  have  learned  much,  whereas  in  truth  you 
are  most  ignorant.  The  commonest  of  the  outer  nations, 
when  I  destroyed  them,  knew  more  than  your  wisest 
know  to-day." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  Oro ;  since  then  we  have  learned 
something  of  the  soul." 

"  Ah !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  that  interests  me  and  perhaps 
it  is  true.  Also,  if  true  it  is  very  important,  as  I  have 
told  you  before — or  was  it  Bastin?  If  a  man  has  a  soul, 
he  lives,  whereas  even  we  Sons  of  Wisdom  die,  and  in 
Death  what  is  the  use  of  Wisdom?  Because  you  can 
believe,  you  have  souls  and  are  therefore,  perhaps,  heirs 
to  life,  foolish  and  ignorant  as  you  are  to-day.  There- 
fore I  admit  you  and  Bastin  to  be  my  equals,  though 
Bickley,  who  like  myself  believes  nothing,  is  but  a 
common  chemist  and  doctor  of  disease." 

"  Then  you  bow  to  Faith,  Oro?  " 

"Yes,  and  I  think  that  my  god  Fate  also  bows  to 
Faith.  Perhaps,  indeed,  Faith  shapes  Fate,  not  Fate 
Faith.  But  whence  comes  that  faith  which  even  I  with 
all  my  learning  cannot  command?  Why  is  it  denied 
to  me  and  given  to  you  and  Bastin?  " 

"  Because  as  Bastin  would  tell  you,  it  is  a  gift,  though 
one  that  is  never  granted  to  the  proud  and  self-sufficient. 
Become  humble  as  a  child,  Oro,  and  perchance  you  too 
may  acquire  faith." 

"  And  how  shall  I  become  humble?  " 

"  By  putting  away  all  dreams  of  power  and  its 
exercise,  if  such  you  have,  and  in  repentance  walking 
quietly  to  the  Gates  of  Death,"  I  replied. 

"  For  you,  Humphrey,  who  have  little  or  none  of 
these  things,  that  may  be  easy.  But  for  me  who  have 


324  When  the  World  Shook 

much,  if  not  all,  it  is  otherwise.  You  ask  me  to  abandon 
the  certain  for  the  uncertain,  the  known  for  the  un- 
known, and  from  a  half -god  communing  with  the  stars, 
to  become  an  earthworm  crawling  in  mud  and  lifting 
blind  eyes  towards  the  darkness  of  everlasting  night." 

"  A  god  who  must  die  is  no  god,  half  or  whole,  Oro; 
the  earthworm  that  lives  on  is  greater  than  he." 

"  Mayhap.  Yet  while  I  endure  I  will  be  as  a  god, 
so  that  when  night  comes,  if  come  it  must,  I  shall  have 
played  my  part  and  left  my  mark  upon  this  little  world 
of  ours.  Have  done ! "  he  added  with  a  burst  of  im- 
patience. "What  will  you  of  my  daughter?" 

"What  man  has  always  willed  of  woman — herself, 
body  and  soul." 

"  Her  soul  perchance  is  yours,  if  she  has  one,  but  her 
body  is  mine  to  give  or  withhold.  Yet  it  can  be  bought 
at  a  price,"  he  added  slowly. 

"  So  she  told  me,  Oro." 

"  I  can  guess  what  she  told  you.  Did  I  not  watch 
you  yonder  by  the  lake  when  you  gave  her  a  ring  graved 
with  the  signs  of  Life  and  Everlastingness ?  The  ques- 
tion is,  will  you  pay  the  price?  " 

"  Not  so;  the  question  is — what  is  the  price?  " 

"This;  to  enter  my  service  and  henceforth  do  my 
will — without  debate  or  cavil." 

"  For  what  reward,  Oro?  " 

"  Yva  and  the  dominion  of  the  earth  while  you  shall 
live,  neither  more  nor  less." 

"  And  what  is  your  will  ?  " 

"  That  you  shall  learn  in  due  course.  On  the  second 
night  from  this  I  command  the  three  of  you  to  wait  upon 
me  at  sundown  in  the  buried  halls  of  Nyo.  Till  then  you 
see  no  more  of  Yva,  for  I  do  not  trust  her.  She,  too, 
has  powers,  though  as  yet  she  does  not  use  them,  and 


The  Command  325 

perchance  she  would  forget  her  oaths,  and  following 
some  new  star  of  love,  for  a  little  while  vanish  with  you 
out  of  my  reach.  Be  in  the  sepulchre  at  the  hour  of 
sundown  on  the  second  day  from  this,  all  three  of  you,  if 
you  would  continue  to  live  upon  the  earth.  Afterwards 
you  shall  learn  my  will  and  make  your  choice  between 
Yva  with  majesty  and  her  loss  with  death." 
Then  suddenly  he  was  gone. 

Next  morning  I  told  the  others  what  had  passed, 
and  we  talked  the  matter  over.  The  trouble  was,  of 
course,  that  Bickley  did  not  believe  me.  He  had  no 
faith  in  my  alleged  interviews  with  Oro,  which  he  set 
down  to  delusions  of  a  semi-mesmeric  character.  This 
was  not  strange,  since  it  appeared  that  on  the  previous 
night  he  had  watched  the  door  of  my  sleeping-place  until 
dawn  broke,  which  it  did  long  after  Oro  had  departed, 
and  he  had  not  seen  him  either  come  or  go,  although  the 
moon  was  shining  brightly. 

When  he  told  me  this  I  could  only  answer  that  all 
the  same  he  had  been  there  as,  if  he  could  speak,  Tommy 
would  have  been  able  to  certify.  As  it  chanced  the  dog 
was  sleeping  with  me  and  at  the  first  sound  of  the 
approach  of  someone,  woke  up  and  growled.  Then 
recognising  Oro,  he  went  to  him,  wagged  his  tail  and 
curled  himself  up  at  his  feet. 

Bastin  believed  my  story  readily  enough,  saying 
that  Oro  was  a  peculiar  person  who  no  doubt  had  ways 
of  coming  and  going  which  we  did  not  understand.  His 
point  was,  however,  that  he  did  not  in  the  least  wish 
to  visit  Nyo  any  more.  The  wonders  of  its  underground 
palaces  and  temples  had  no  charms  for  him.  Also  he 
did  not  think  he  could  do  any  good  by  going,  since 
after  "  sucking  him  as  dry  as  an  orange  "  with  reference 


326  When  the  World  Shook 

to  religious  matters  "  that  old  vampire-bat  Oro  had  just 
thrown  him  away  like  the  rind,"  and,  he  might  add, 
"  seemed  no  better  for  the  juice  he  had  absorbed." 

"  I  doubt,"  continued  Bastin,  "  whether  St.  Paul  him- 
self could  have  converted  Oro,  even  if  he  performed 
miracles  before  him.  What  is  the  use  of  showing 
miracles  to  a  man  who  could  always  work  a  bigger  one 
himself?" 

In  short,  Bastin's  one  idea,  and  Bickley's  also  for 
the  matter  of  that,  was  to  get  away  to  the  main  island 
and  thence  escape  by  means  of  the  boat,  or  in  some  other 
fashion. 

I  pointed  out  that  Oro  had  said  we  must  obey  at  the 
peril  of  our  lives;  indeed  that  he  had  put  it  even  more 
strongly,  using  words  to  the  effect  that  if  we  did  not 
he  would  kill  us. 

"  I'd  take  the  risk,"  said  Bickley,  "  since  I  believe 
that  you  dreamt  it  all,  Arbuthnot.  However,  putting 
that  aside,  there  is  a  natural  reason  why  you  should 
wish  to  go,  and  for  my  own  part,  so  do  I  in  a  way.  I 
want  to  see  what  that  old  fellow  has  up  his  extremely 
long  sleeve,  if  there  is  anything  there  at  all." 

"  Well,  if  you  ask  me,  Bickley,"  I  answered,  "  I 
believe  it  is  the  destruction  of  half  the  earth,  or  some 
little  matter  of  that  sort." 

At  this  suggestion  Bickley  only  snorted,  but  Bastin 
said  cheerfully: 

"  I  dare  say.  He  is  bad  enough  even  for  that.  But 
as  I  am  quite  convinced  that  it  will  never  be  allowed,  his 
intentions  do  not  trouble  me." 

I  remarked  that  he  seemed  to  have  carried  them  out 
once  before. 

"  Oh !  you  mean  the  Deluge.  Well,  no  doubt  there 
was  a  deluge,  but  I  am  sure  that  Oro  had  no  more  to 


The  Command  327 

do  with  it  than  you  or  I,  as  I  think  I  have  said  already. 
Anyhow  it  is  impossible  to  leave  you  to  descend  into 
that  hole  alone.  I  suggest,  therefore,  that  we  should  go 
into  the  sepulchre  at  the  time  which  you  believe  Oro 
appointed,  and  see  what  happens.  If  you  are  not  mis- 
taken, the  Glittering  Lady  will  come  there  to  fetch  us, 
since  it  is  quite  certain  that  we  cannot  work  the  lift  or 
whatever  it  is,  alone.  If  you  are  mistaken  we  can  just 
go  back  to  bed  as  usual." 

"  Yes,  that's  the  best  plan,"  said  Bickley,  shortly, 
after  which  the  conversation  came  to  an  end. 

All  that  day  and  the  next  I  watched  and  waited  in 
vain  for  the  coming  of  Yva,  but  no  Yva  appeared.  I 
even  went  as  far  as  the  sepulchre,  but  it  was  as  empty 
as  were  the  two  crystal  coffins,  and  after  waiting  a  while 
I  returned.  Although  I  did  not  say  so  to  Bickley,  to 
me  it  was  evident  that  Oro,  as  he  had  said,  was  deter- 
mined to  cut  off  all  communication  between  us. 

The  second  day  drew  to  its  close.  Our  simple  prepara- 
tions were  complete.  They  consisted  mainly  in  making 
ready  our  hurricane  lamps  and  packing  up  a  little  food, 
enough  to  keep  us  for  three  or  four  days  if  necessary, 
together  with  some  matches  and  a  good  supply  of  oil, 
since,  as  Bastin  put  it,  he  was  determined  not  to  be 
caught  like  the  foolish  virgins  in  the  parable. 

"  You  see,"  he  added,  "  one  never  knows  when  it 
might  please  that  old  wretch  to  turn  off  the  incandescent 
gas  or  electric  light,  or  whatever  it  is  he  uses  to  illumine 
his  family  catacombs,  and  then  it  would  be  awkward  if 
we  had  no  oil." 

"  For  the  matter  of  that  he  might  steal  our  lamps," 
suggested  Bickley,  "  in  which  case  we  should  be  where 
Moses  was  when  the  light  went  out." 

"  I  have  considered  that  possibility,"  answered  Bas- 


328  When  the  World  Shook 

tin,  "  and  therefore,  although  it  is  a  dangerous  weapon 
to  carry  loaded,  I  am  determined  to  take  my  revolver. 
If  necessary  I  shall  consider  myself  quite  justified  in 
shooting  him  to  save  our  lives  and  those  of  thousands  of 
others." 

At  this  we  both  laughed ;  somehow  the  idea  of  Bastin 
trying  to  shoot  Oro  struck  us  as  intensely  ludicrous. 
Yet  that  very  thing  was  to  happen. 

It  was  a  peculiarly  beautiful  sunset  over  the  southern 
seas.  To  the  west  the  great  flaming  orb  sank  into  the 
ocean,  to  the  east  appeared  the  silver  circle  of  the  full 
moon.  To  my  excited  fancy  they  were  like  scales  hang- 
ing from  the  hand  of  a  materialised  spirit  of  calm. 
Over  the  volcano  and  the  lake,  over  the  island  with 
its  palm  trees,  over  the  seas  beyond,  this  calm  brooded. 
Save  for  a  few  travelling  birds  the  sky  was  empty;  no 
cloud  disturbed  its  peace;  the  world  seemed  steeped  in 
innocence  and  quiet. 

All  these  things  struck  me,  as  I  think  they  did  the 
others,  because  by  the  action  of  some  simultaneous 
thought  it  came  to  our  minds  that  very  probably  we 
were  looking  on  them  for  the  last  time.  It  is  all  very 
well  to  talk  of  the  Unknown  and  the  Infinite  whereof 
we  are  assured  we  are  the  heirs,  but  that  does  not  make 
it  any  easier  for  us  to  part  with  the  Known  and  the 
Finite.  The  contemplation  of  the  wonders  of  Eternity 
does  not  conceal  the  advantages  of  actual  and  existent 
Time.  In  short  there  is  no  one  of  us,  from  a  sainted 
archbishop  down  to  a  sinful  suicide,  who  does  not  regret 
the  necessity  of  farewell  to  the  pleasant  light  and  the 
kindly  race  of  men  wherewith  we  are  acquainted. 

For  after  all,  who  can  be  quite  certain  of  the  Beyond  ? 


The  Command  329 

It  may  be  splendid,  but  it  will  probably  be  strange,  and 
from  strangeness,  after  a  certain  age,  we  shrink.  We 
know  that  all  things  will  be  different  there;  that  our 
human  relationships  will  be  utterly  changed,  that  per- 
haps sex  which  shapes  so  many  of  them,  will  vanish  to 
be  replaced  by  something  unknown,  that  ambitions  will 
lose  their  hold  of  us,  and  that,  at  the  best,  the  mere  loss 
of  hopes  and  fears  will  leave  us  empty.  So  at  least  we 
think,  who  seek  not  variation  but  continuance,  since  the 
spirit  must  differ  from  the  body  and  that  thought  alarms 
our  intelligence. 

At  least  some  of  us  think  so;  others,  like  Bickley, 
write  down  the  future  as  a  black  and  endless  night,  which 
after  all  has  its  consolations  since,  as  has  been  wisely 
suggested,  perhaps  oblivion  is  better  than  any  memories. 
Others  again,  like  Bastin,  would  say  of  it  with  the 
Frenchman,  plus  ga,  change,  plus  c'est  la  tneme  chose. 
Yet  others,  like  Oro,  consider  it  as  a  realm  of  possi- 
bilities, probably  unpleasant  and  perhaps  non-existent; 
just  this  and  nothing  more.  Only  one  thing  is  certain, 
that  no  creature  which  has  life  desires  to  leap  into  the 
fire  and  from  the  dross  of  doubts,  to  resolve  the  gold — 
or  the  lead — of  certainty. 

"  It  is  time  to  be  going,"  said  Bastin.  "  In  these 
skies  the  sun  seems  to  tumble  down,  not  to  set  decently 
as  it  does  in  England,  and  if  we  wait  any  longer  we  shall 
be  late  for  our  appointment  in  the  sepulchre.  I  am 
sorry  because  although  I  don't  often  notice  scenery, 
everything  looks  rather  beautiful  this  evening.  That 
star,  for  instance,  I  think  it  is  called  Venus." 

"  And  therefore  one  that  Arbuthnot  should  admire," 
broke  in  Bickley,  attempting  to  lighten  matters  with  a 
joke.  "  But  come  on  and  let  us  be  rid  of  this  fool's 
errand.  Certainly  the  world  is  a  lovely  place  after  all, 


33<3  When  the  World  Shook 

and  for  my  part  I  hope  that  we  haven't  seen  the  last  of 
it,"  he  added  with  a  sigh. 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Bastin,  "  though  of  course,  Faith 
teaches  us  that  there  are  much  better  ones  beyond.  It 
is  no  use  bothering  about  what  they  are  like,  but  I  hope 
that  the  road  to  them  doesn't  run  through  the  hole  that 
the  old  reprobate,  Oro,  calls  Nyo." 

A  few  minutes  later  we  started,  each  of  us  carrying 
his  share  of  the  impedimenta.  I  think  that  Tommy  was 
the  only  really  cheerful  member  of  the  party,  for  he 
skipped  about  and  barked,  running  backwards  and  for- 
wards into  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  as  though  to  hurry  our 
movements. 

"  Really,"  said  Bastin,  "  it  is  quite  unholy  to  see  an 
animal  going  on  in  that  way  when  it  knows  that  it  is 
about  to  descend  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  I  suppose 
it  must  like  them." 

"  Oh !  no,"  commented  Bickley,  "  it  only  likes  what 
is  in  them — like  Arbuthnot.  Since  that  little  beast  came 
in  contact  with  the  Lady  Yva,  it  has  never  been  happy 
out  of  her  company." 

"  I  think  that  is  so,"  said  Bastin.  "  At  any  rate  1 
have  noticed  that  it  has  been  moping  for  the  last  two 
days,  as  it  always  does  when  she  is  not  present.  It  even 
seems  to  like  Oro  who  gives  me  the  creeps,  perhaps  be- 
cause he  is  her  father.  Dogs  must  be  very  charitable 
animals." 

By  now  we  were  in  the  cave  marching  past  the  wrecks 
of  the  half-buried  flying-machines,  which  Bickley,  as 
he  remarked  regretfully,  had  never  found  time 
thoroughly  to  examine.  Indeed,  to  do  so  would  have 
needed  more  digging  than  we  could  do  without  proper 
instruments,  since  the  machines  were  big  and  deeply 
entombed  in  dust. 


The  Command  331 

We  came  to  the  sepulchre  and  entered. 

"  Well,"  said  Bickley,  seating  himself  on  the  edge  of 
one  of  the  coffins  and  holding  up  his  lamp  to  look  about 
him,  "  this  place  seems  fairly  empty.  No  one  is  keeping 
the  assignation,  Arbuthnot,  although  the  sun  is  well 
down." 

As  he  spoke  the  words  Yva  stood  before  us.  Whence 
she  came  we  did  not  see,  for  all  our  backs  were  turned 
at  the  moment  of  her  arrival.  But  there  she  was,  calm, 
beautiful,  radiating  light 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

IN  THE  TEMPLE  OF  FATE 

YVA  glanced  at  me,  and  in  her  eyes  I  read  tenderness 
and  solicitude,  also  something  of  inquiry.  It  seemed  to 
me  as  though  she  were  wondering  what  I  should  do 
under  circumstances  that  might,  or  would,  arise,  and  in 
some  secret  fashion  of  which  I  was  but  half  conscious, 
drawing  an  answer  from  my  soul.  Then  she  turned, 
and,  smiling  in  her  dazzling  way,  said  : 

"  So,  Bickley,  as  usual,  you  did  not  believe?  Because 
you  did  not  see  him,  therefore  the  Lord  Oro,  my  father, 
never  spoke  with  Humphrey.  As  though  the  Lord  Oro 
could  not  pass  you  without  your  knowledge,  or,  per- 
chance, send  thoughts  clothed  in  his  own  shape  to  work 
his  errand." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  I  did  not  believe  Arbuth- 
not's  story?"  Bickley  asked  in  a  rather  cross  voice  and 
avoiding  the  direct  issue.  "  Do  you  also  send  thoughts 
to  work  your  errands  clothed  in  your  own  shape,  Lady 
Yva?" 

"Alas!  not  so,  though  perhaps  I  could  if  I  might. 
It  is  very  simple,  Bickley.  Standing' here,  I  heard  you 
say  that  although  the  sun  was  well  down  there  was  no 
one  to  meet  you  as  Humphrey  had  expected,  and  from 
those  words  and  your  voice  I  guessed  the  rest." 

"Your  knowledge  of  the  English  language  is  im- 
proving fast,  Lady  Yva.  Also,  when  I  spoke,  you  were 
not  here." 

"  At  least  I  w_as  very  near,  Bickley,  and  these  walls 

33» 


In  the  Temple  of  Fate  333 

are  thinner  than  you  think,"  she  answered,  contem- 
plating what  seemed  to  be  solid  rock  with  eyes  that  were 
full  of  innocence.  "  Oh !  friend,"  she  went  on  suddenly, 
"  I  wonder  what  there  is  which  will  cause  you  to  believe 
that  you  do  not  know  all;  that  there  exist  many  things 
beyond  the  reach  of  your  learning  and  imagination? 
Well,  in  a  day  or  two,  perhaps,  even  you  will  admit  as 
much,  and  confess  it  to  me — elsewhere,"  and  she  sighed. 

"  I  am  ready  to  confess  now  that  much  happens 
which  I  do  not  understand  at  present,  because  I  have 
not  the  key  to  the  trick,"  he  replied. 

Yva  shook  her  head  at  him  and  smiled  again.  Then 
she  motioned  to  all  of  us  to  stand  close  to  her,  and, 
stooping,  lifted  Tommy  in  her  arms.  Next  moment  that 
marvel  happened  which  I  have  described  already,  and 
we  were  whirling  downwards  through  space,  to  find  our- 
selves in  a  very  little  time  standing  safe  in  the  caves  of 
Nyo,  breathless  with  the  swiftness  of  our  descent.  How 
and  on  what  we  descended  neither  I  nor  the  others  ever 
learned.  It  was  and  must  remain  one  of  the  unexplained 
mysteries  of  our  great  experience. 

" Whither  now,  Yva?"  I  asked,  staring  about  me  at 
the  radiant  vastness. 

"  The  Lord  Oro  would  speak  with  you,  Humphrey. 
Follow.  And  I  pray  you  all  do  not  make  him  wrath,  for 
his  mood  is  not  gentle." 

So  once  more  we  proceeded  down  the  empty  streets  of 
that  underground  abode  which,  except  that  it  was  better 
illuminated,  reminded  me  of  the  Greek  conception  of 
Hades.  We  came  to  the  sacred  fountain  over  which 
stood  the  guardian  statue  of  Life,  pouring  from  the  cups 
she  held  the  waters  of  Good  and  111  that  mingled  into 
one  health-giving  wine. 

"  Drink,  all  of  you,"  she  said;  "  for  I  think  before  the 


334  When  the  World  Shook 

sun  sets  again  upon  the  earth  we  shall  need  strength, 
every  one  of  us." 

So  we  drank,  and  she  drank  herself,  and  once  more 
felt  the  blood  go  dancing  through  our  veins  as  though 
the  draught  had  been  some  nectar  of  the  gods.  Then, 
having  extinguished  the  lanterns  which  we  still  carried, 
for  here  they  were  needless,  and  we  wished  to  save  our 
oil,  we  followed  her  through  the  great  doors  into  the 
vast  hall  of  audience  and  advanced  up  it  between  the 
endless,  empty  seats.  At  its  head,  on  the  dais  beneath 
the  arching  shell,  sat  Oro  on  his  throne.  As  before,  he 
wore  the  jewelled  cap  and  the  gorgeous,  flowing  robes, 
while  the  table  in  front  of  him  was  still  strewn  with 
sheets  of  metal  on  which  he  wrote  with  a  pen,  or  stylus, 
that  glittered  like  a  diamond  or  his  own  fierce  eyes. 
Then  he  lifted  his  head  and  beckoned  to  us  to  ascend 
the  dais. 

"  You  are  here.  It  is  well,"  he  said,  which  was  all 
his  greeting.  Only  when  Tommy  ran  up  to  him  he 
bent  down  and  patted  the  dog's  head  with  his  long,  thin 
hand,  and,  as  he  did  so,  his  face  softened.  It  was 
evident  to  me  that  Tommy  was  more  welcome  to  him 
than  were  the  rest  of  us. 

There  was  a  long  silence  while,  one  by  one,  he 
searched  us  with  his  piercing  glance.  It  rested  on  me, 
the  last  of  the  three  of  us,  and  from  me  travelled  to 
Yva. 

"I  wonder  why  I  have  sent  for  you?"  he  said  at 
length,  with  a  mirthless  laugh.  "  I  think  it  must  be 
that  I  may  convince  Bickley,  the  sceptic,  that  there  are 
powers  which  he  does  not  understand,  but  that  I  have 
the  strength  to  move.  Also,  perhaps,  that  your  lives 
may  be  spared  for  my  own  purposes  in  that  which  is 
about  to  happen.  Hearken!  My  labours  are  finished; 


In  the  Temple  of  Fate  335 

my  calculations  are  complete,"  and  he  pointed  to  the 
sheets  of  metal  before  him  that  were  covered  with  cabal- 
istic signs.  "To-morrow  I  am  about  to  do  what  once 
before  I  did  and  to  plunge  half  the  world  in  the  deeps 
of  ocean  and  lift  again  from  the  depths  that  which  has 
been  buried  for  a  quarter  of  a  million  years." 

"Which  half?"  asked  Bickley. 

"  That  is  my  secret,  Physician,  and  the  answer  to  it 
lies  written  here  in  signs  you  cannot  read.  Certain 
countries  will  vanish,  others  will  be  spared.  I  say  that 
it  is  my  secret." 

"  Then,  Oro,  if  you  could  do  what  you  threaten,  you 
would  drown  hundreds  of  millions  of  people." 

"If  I  could  do!  If  I  could  do!"  he  exclaimed, 
glaring  at  Bickley.  "Well,  to-morrow  you  shall  see 
what  I  can  do.  Oh!  why  do  I  grow  angry  with  this 
fool?  For  the  rest,  yes,  they  must  drown.  What  does 
it  matter?  Their  end  will  be  swift;  some  few  minutes 
of  terror,  that  is  all,  and  in  one  short  century  every  one 
of  them  would  have  been  dead." 

An  expression  of  horror  gathered  on  Bastin's  face. 

"  Do  you  really  mean  to  murder  hundreds  of  millions 
of  people  ?  "  he  asked,  in  a  thick,  slow  voice. 

"  I  have  said  that  I  intend  to  send  them  to  that 
heaven  or  that  hell  of  which  you  are  so  fond  of  talking, 
Preacher,  somewhat  more  quickly  than  otherwise  they 
would  have  found  their  way  thither.  They  have  disap- 
pointed me,  they  have  failed ;  therefore,  let  them  go  and 
make  room  for  others  who  will  succeed." 

"Then  you  are  a  greater  assassin  than  any  that  the 
world  has  bred,  or  than  all  of  them  put  together.  There 
is  nobody  as  bad,  even  in  the  Book  of  Revelation ! " 
shouted  Bastin,  in  a  kind  of  fury.  "  Moreover,  I  am  not 
like  Bickley.  I  know  enough  of  you  and  your  hellish 


336  When  the  World  Shook 

powers  to  believe  that  what  you  plan,  that  you  can  do." 
"  I  believe  it  also,"  sneered  Oro.     "  But  how  comes 
it  that  the  Great  One  whom  you  worship  does  not  pre- 
vent the  deed,  if  He  exists,  and  it  be  evil?  " 

"  He  will  prevent  it !  "  raved  Bastin.  "  Even  now  He 
commands  me  to  prevent  it,  and  I  obey! "  Then,  draw- 
ing the  revolver  from  his  pocket,  he  pointed  it  at  Oro's 
breast,  adding :  "  Swear  not  to  commit  this  crime,  or  I 
will  kill  you!" 

"  So  the  man  of  peace  would  become  a  man  of  blood," 
mused  Oro,  "  and  kill  that  /  may  not  kill  for  the  good  of 
the  world?  Why,  what  is  the  matter  with  that  toy  of 
yours,  Preacher?  "  and  he  pointed  to  the  pistol. 

Well  might  he  ask,  for  as  he  spoke  the  revolver 
flew  out  of  Bastin's  hand.  High  into  the  air  it  flew, 
and  as  it  went  discharged  itself,  all  the  six  chambers  of 
it,  in  rapid  succession,  while  Bastin  stood  staring  at  his 
arm  and  hand  which  he  seemed  unable  to  withdraw. 

"  Do  you  still  threaten  me  with  that  outstretched 
hand,  Preacher?"  mocked  Oro. 

"I  can't  move  it,"  said  Bastin;  "it  seems  turned  to 
stone." 

"  Be  thankful  that  you  also  are  not  turned  to  stone. 
But,  because  your  courage  pleases  me,  I  will  spare  you, 
yes,  and  will  advance  you  in  my  New  Kingdom.  What 
shall  you  be?  Controller  of  Religions,  I  think,  since  all 
the  qualities  that  a  high  priest  should  have  are  yours — 
faith,  fanaticism  and  folly." 

"  It  is  very  strange,"  said  Bastin,  "  but  all  of  a  sudden 
my  arm  and  hand  are  quite  well  again.  I  suppose  it 
must  have  been  *  pins  and  needles,'  or  something  of 
that  sort  which  made  me  throw  away  the  pistol  and  pull 
the  trigger  when  I  didn't  mean  to  do  so." 

Then  he  went  to  fetch  that  article  which  had  fallen 


In  the  Temple  of  Fate  337 

beyond  the  dais,  and  quite  forgot  his  intention  of  ex- 
ecuting Oro  in  the  interest  of  testing  its  mechanism, 
which  proved  to  be  destroyed.  To  his  proposed 
appointment  he  made  no  illusion.  If  he  comprehended 
what  was  meant,  which  I  doubt,  he  took  it  as  a 
joke. 

"  Hearken  all  of  you,"  said  Oro,  lifting  his  head 
suddenly,  for  while  Bastin  recovered  the  revolver  he 
had  been  brooding.  "  The  great  thing  which  I  shall 
do  to-morrow  must  be  witnessed  by  you  because  thereby 
only  can  you  come  to  understand  my  powers.  Also 
yonder  where  I  bring  it  about  in  the  bowels  of  the 
earth,  you  will  be  safer  than  elsewhere,  since  when  and 
perhaps  before  it  happens,  the  whole  world  will  heave 
and  shake  and  tremble,  and  I  know  not  what  may 
chance,  even  in  these  caves.  For  this  reason  also,  do 
not  forget  to  bring  the  little  hound  with  you,  since  him 
least  of  all  of  you  would  I  see  come  to  harm,  perhaps 
because  once,  hundreds  of  generations  ago  as  you 
reckon  time,  I  had  a  dog  very  like  to  him.  Your  mother 
loved  him  much,  Yva,  and  when  she  died,  this  dog  died 
also.  He  lies  embalmed  with  her  on  her  coffin  yonder 
in  the  temple,  and  yesterday  I  went  to  look  at  both  of 
them.  The  beasts  are  wonderfully  alike,  which  shows 
the  everlastingness  of  blood." 

He  paused  a  while,  lost  in  thought,  then  continued: 
"  After  the  deed  is  done  I'll  speak  with  you  and  you 
shall  choose,  Strangers,  whether  you  will  die  your  own 
masters,  or  live  on  to  serve  me.  Now  there  is  one 
problem  that  is  left  to  me  to  solve — whether  I  can  save 
a  certain  land — do  not  ask  which  it  is,  Humphrey, 
though  I  see  the  question  in  your  eyes — or  must  let  it 
go  with  the  rest.  I  only  answer  you  that  I  will  do  my 
best  because  you  love  it.  So  farewell  for  a  while,  and, 


338  When  the  World  Shook 

Preacher,  be  advised  by  me  and  do  not  aim  too  high 
again." 

"  It  doesn't  matter  where  I  aim,"  answered  Bastin 
sturdily,  "  or  whether  I  hit  or  miss,  since  there  is  some- 
thing much  bigger  than  me  waiting  to  deal  with  you. 
The  countries  that  you  think  you  are  going  to  destroy 
will  sleep  quite  as  well  to-morrow  as  they  do  to-night, 
Oro." 

"  Much  better,  I  think,  Preacher,  since  by  then  they 
will  have  left  sorrow  and  pain  and  wickedness  and  war 
far  behind  them." 

"  Where  are  we  to  go  ?  "  I  asked. 

"The  Lady  Yva  will  show  you,"  he  answered, 
waving  his  hand,  and  once  more  bent  over  his  endless 
calculations. 

Yva  beckoned  to  us  and  we  turned  and  followed  her 
down  the  hall.  She  led  us  to  a  street  near  the  gateway 
of  the  temple  and  thence  into  one  of  the  houses.  There 
was  a  portico  to  it  leading  to  a  court  out  of  which 
opened  rooms  somewhat  in  the  Pompeian  fashion.  We 
did  not  enter  the  rooms,  for  at  the  end  of  the  court  were 
a  metal  table  and  three  couches  also  of  metal,  on  which 
were  spread  rich-looking  rugs.  Whence  these  came  I 
do  not  know  and  never  asked,  but  I  remember  that  they 
were  very  beautiful  and  soft  as  velvet. 

"  Here  you  may  sleep,"  she  said,  "  if  sleep  you  can, 
and  eat  of  the  food  that  you  have  brought  with  you. 
To-morrow  early  I  will  call  you  when  it  is  time  for  us  to 
start  upon  our  journey  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth." 

"  I  don't  want  to  go  any  deeper  than  we  are,"  said 
Bastin  doubtfully. 

"  I  think  that  none  of  us  want  to  go,  Bastin,"  she 
answered  with  a  sigh.  "  Yet  go  we  must.  I  pray  of 
you,  anger  the  Lord  Oro  no  more  on  this  or  any  other 


In  the  Temple  of  Fate  339 

matter.  In  your  folly  you  tried  to  kill  him,  and  as  it 
chanced  he  bore  it  well  because  he  loves  courage.  But 
another  time  he  may  strike  back,  and  then,  Bastin " 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  him,"  he  answered,  "  but  I  do 
not  like  tunnels.  Still,  perhaps  it  would  be  better  to 
accompany  you  than  to  be  left  in  this  place  alone.  Now 
I  will  unpack  the  food." 

Yva  turned  to  go. 

"  I  must  leave  you,"  she  said,  "  since  my  father  needs 
my  help.  The  matter  has  to  do  with  the  Force  that  he 
would  let  loose  to-morrow,  and  its  measurements;  also 
with  the  preparation  of  the  robes  that  we  must  wear  lest 
it  should  harm  us  in  its  leap." 

Something  in  her  eyes  told  me  that  she  wished  me 
to  follow  her,  and  I  did  so.  Outside  the  portico  where 
we  stood  in  the  desolate,  lighted  street,  she  halted. 

"  If  you  are  not  afraid,"  she  said,  "  meet  me  at  mid- 
night by  the  statue  of  Fate  in  the  great  temple,  for  I 
would  speak  with  you,  Humphrey,  where,  if  anywhere, 
we  may  be  alone." 

"  I  will  come,  Yva." 

"You  know  the  road,  and  the  gates  are  open, 
Humphrey." 

Then  she  gave  me  her  hand  to  kiss  and  glided  away. 

I  returned  to  the  others  and  we  ate,  somewhat 
sparingly,  for  we  wished  to  save  our  food  in  case  of  need, 
and  having  drunk  of  the  Life-water,  were  not  hungry. 
Also  we  talked  a  little,  but  by  common  consent  avoided 
the  subject  of  the  morrow  and  what  it  might  bring  forth. 

We  knew  that  terrible  things  were  afoot,  but  lacking 
any  knowledge  of  what  these  might  be,  thought  it  use- 
less to  discuss  them.  Indeed  we  were  too  depressed,  so 
much  so  that  even  Bastin  and  Bickley  ceased  from 
arguing.  The  latter  was  so  overcome  by  the  exhibition 


340  When  the  World  Shook 

of  Oro's  powers  when  he  caused  the  pistol  to  leap  into 
the  air  and  discharge  itself,  that  he  could  not  even 
pluck  up  courage  to  laugh  at  the  failure  of  Bastin's 
efforts  to  do  justice  on  the  old  Super-man,  or  rather  to 
prevent  him  from  attempting  a  colossal  crime. 

At  length  we  lay  down  on  the  couches  to  rest,  Bastin 
remarking  that  he  wished  he  could  turn  off  the  light, 
also  that  he  did  not  in  the  least  regret  having  tried  to 
kill  Oro.  Sleep  seemed  to  come  to  the  others  quickly, 
but  I  could  only  doze,  to  wake  up  from  time  to  time. 
Of  this  I  was  not  sorry,  since  whenever  I  dropped  off 
dreams  seemed  to  pursue  me.  For  the  most  part  they 
were  of  my  dead  wife.  She  appeared  to  be  trying  to 
console  me  for  some  loss,  but  the  strange  thing  was 
that  sometimes  she  spoke  with  her  own  voice  and  some- 
times with  Yva's,  and  sometimes  looked  at  me  with  her 
own  eyes  and  sometimes  with  those  of  Yva.  I  remem- 
ber nothing  else  about  these  dreams,  which  were  very 
confused. 

After  one  of  them,  the  most  vivid  of  all,  I  awoke  and 
looked  at  my  watch.  It  was  half-past  eleven,  almost 
time  for  me  to  be  starting.  The  other  two  seemed  to  be 
fast  asleep.  Presently  I  rose  and  crept  down  the  court 
without  waking  them.  Outside  the  portico,  which  by 
the  way  was  a  curious  example  of  the  survival  of 
custom  in  architecture,  since  none  was  needed  in  that 
weatherless  place,  I  turned  to  the  right  and  followed  the 
wide  street  to  the  temple  enclosure.  Through  the 
pillared  courts  I  went,  my  footsteps,  although  I  walked 
as  softly  as  I  could,  echoing  loudly  in  that  intense 
silence,  through  the  great  doors  into  the  utter  solitude 
of  the  vast  and  perfect  fane. 

Words  cannot  tell  the  loneliness  of  that  place.  It 
flowed  over  me  like  a  sea  and  seemed  to  swallow  up  my 


In  the  Temple  of  Fate  341 

being,  so  that  even  the  wildest  and  most  dangerous 
beast  would  have  been  welcome  as  a  companion.  I  was 
as  terrified  as  a  child  that  wakes  to  find  itself  deserted 
in  the  dark.  Also  an  uncanny  sense  of  terrors  to  come 
oppressed  me,  till  I  could  have  cried  aloud  if  only  to 
hear  the  sound  of  a  mortal  voice.  Yonder  was  the  grim 
statue  of  Fate,  the  Oracle  of  the  Kings  of  the  Sons  of 
Wisdom,  which  was  believed  to  bow  its  stony  head  in 
answer  to  their  prayers.  I  ran  to  it,  eager  for  its  terrible 
shelter,  for  on  either  side  of  it  were  figures  of  human 
beings.  Even  their  cold  marble  was  company  of  a  sort, 
though  alas!  over  all  frowned  Fate. 

Let  anyone  imagine  himself  standing  alone  beneath 
the  dome  of  St.  Paul's;  in  the  centre  of  that  cathedral 
brilliant  with  mysterious  light,  and  stretched  all  about  it 
a  London  that  had  been  dead  and  absolutely  unpeopled 
for  tens  of  thousands  of  years.  If  he  can  do  this  he 
will  gather  some  idea  of  my  physical  state.  Let  him 
add  to  his  mind-picture  a  knowledge  that  on  the  follow- 
ing day  something  was  to  happen  not  unlike  the  end  of 
the  world,  as  prognosticated  by  the  Book  of  Revelation 
and  by  most  astronomers,  and  he  will  have  some  idea  of 
my  mental  perturbations.  Add  to  the  mixture  a  most 
mystic  yet  very  real  love  affair  and  an  assignation  be- 
fore that  symbol  of  the  cold  fate  which  seems  to  sway  the 
universes  down  to  the  tiniest  detail  of  individual  lives, 
and  he  may  begin  to  understand  what  I,  Humphrey 
Arbuthnot,  experienced  during  my  vigil  in  this 
sanctuary  of  a  vanished  race. 

It  seemed  long  before  Yva  came,  but  at  last  she 
did  come.  I  caught  sight  of  her  far  away  beyond  the 
temple  gate,  flitting  through  the  unholy  brightness  of 
the  pillared  courts  like  a  white  moth  at  night  and  seem- 
ing quite  as  small.  She  approached;  now  she  was  as  a 


342  When  the  World  Shook 

ghost,  and  then  drawing  near,  changed  into  a  living, 
breathing,  lovely  woman.  I  opened  my  arms,  and  with 
something  like  a  sob  she  sank  into  them  and  we  kissed 
as  mortals  do. 

"  I  could  not  come  more  quickly,"  she  said.  "  The 
Lord  Oro  needed  me,  and  those  calculations  were  long 
and  difficult.  Also  twice  he  must  visit  the  place 
whither  we  shall  go  to-morrow,  and  that  took  time." 

"  Then  it  is  close  at  hand  ?  "  I  said. 

"  Humphrey,  be  not  foolish.  Do  you  not  remember, 
who  have  travelled  with  him,  that  Oro  can  throw  his 
soul  afar  and  bring  it  back  again  laden  with  knowledge, 
as  the  feet  of  a  bee  are  laden  with  golden  dust?  Well, 
he  went  and  went  again,  and  I  must  wait.  And  then  the 
robes  and  shields;  they  must  be  prepared  by  his  arts 
and  mine.  Oh!  ask  not  what  they  are,  there  is  no  time 
to  tell,  and  it  matters  nothing.  Some  folk  are  wise  and 
some  are  foolish,  but  all  which  matters  is  that  within 
them  flows  the  blood  of  life  and  that  life  breeds  love,  and 
that  love,  as  I  believe,  although  Oro  does  not,  breeds  im- 
mortality. And  if  so,  what  is  Time  but  as  a  grain  of 
sand  upon  the  shore?" 

"  This,  Yva;  it  is  ours,  who  can  count  on  nothing 
else." 

"Oh!  Humphrey,  if  I  thought  that,  no  more 
wretched  creature  would  breathe  to-night  upon  this 
great  world." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  I  asked,  growing  fearful, 
more  at  her  manner  and  her  look  than  at  her  words. 

"  Nothing,  nothing,  except  that  Time  is  so  very 
short.  A  kiss,  a  touch,  a  little  light  and  a  little  dark- 
ness, and  it  is  gone.  Ask  my  father  Oro  who  has  lived 
a  thousand  years  and  slept  for  tens  of  thousands,  as  I 
have,  and  he  will  say  the  same.  It  is  against  Time  that 


In  the  Temple  of  Fate  343 

He  fights;  he  who,  believing  in  nothing  beyond,  will  in- 
herit nothing,  as  Bastin  says;  he  to  whom  Time  has 
brought  nothing  save  a  passing,  blood-stained  great- 
ness, and  triumph  ending  in  darkness  and  disaster,  and 
hope  that  will  surely  suffer  hope's  eclipse,  and  power 
that  must  lay  lown  its  coronet  in  dust." 

"  And  what  has  it  brought  to  you,  Yva,  beyond  a 
fair  body  and  a  soul  of  strength?  " 

"  It  has  brought  a  spirit,  Humphrey.  Between  them 
the  body  and  the  soul  have  bred  a  spirit,  and  in  the  fires 
of  tribulation  from  that  spirit  has  been  distilled  the 
essence  of  eternal  love.  That  is  Time's  gift  to  me,  and 
therefore,  although  still  he  rules  me  here,  I  mock  at 
Fate,"  and  she  waved  her  hand  with  a  gesture  of  defiance 
at  the  stern- faced,  sexless  effigy  which  sat  above  us,  the 
sword  across  its  knees. 

"  Look !  Look !  "  she  went  on  in  a  swelling  voice  of 
music,  pointing  to  the  statues  of  the  dotard  and  the 
beauteous  woman.  "They  implore  Fate,  they  worship 
Fate.  /  do  not  implore,  7  do  not  worship  or  ask  a  sign 
as  even  Oro  does  and  as  did  his  forefathers.  /  rise 
above  and  triumph.  As  Fate,  the  god  of  my  people, 
sets  his  foot  upon  the  sun,  so  I  set  my  foot  upon  Fate, 
and  thence,  like  a  swimmer  from  a  rock,  leap  into  the 
waters  of  Immortality." 

I  looked  at  her  whose  presence,  as  happened  from 
time  to  time,  had  grown  majestic  beyond  that  of 
woman;  I  studied  her  deep  eyes  which  were  full  of 
lights,  not  of  this  world,  and  I  grew  afraid. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  I  asked.  "Yva,  you  talk 
like  one  who  has  finished  with  life." 

"  It  passes,"  she  answered  quickly.  "  Life  passes 
like  breath  fading  from  a  mirror.  So  should  all  talk 
who  breathe  beneath  the  sun." 


344  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Yes,  Yva,  but  if  you  went  and  left  me  still  breath- 
ing on  that  mocking  glass " 

"If  so,  what  of  it?  Will  not  your  breath  fade  also 
and  join  mine  where  all  vapours  go?  Or  if  it  were 
yours  that  faded  and  mine  that  remained  for  some  few 
hours,  is  it  not  the  same?  I  think,  Humphrey,  that 
already  you  have  seen  a  beloved  breath  melt  from  the 
glass  of  life,"  she  added,  looking  at  me  earnestly. 

I  bowed  my  head  and  answered : 

"  Yes,  and  therefore  I  am  ashamed." 

"  Oh !  why  should  you  be  ashamed,  Humphrey, 
who  are  not  sure  but  that  two  breaths  may  yet  be  one 
breath?  How  do  you  know  that  there  is  a  difference 
between  them  ?  " 

"  You  drive  me  mad,  Yva.    I  cannot  understand." 

"  Nor  can  I  altogether,  Humphrey.  Why  should  I, 
seeing  that  I  am  no  more  than  woman,  as  you  are  no 
more  than  man?  I  would  always  have  you  remember, 
Humphrey,  that  I  am  no  spirit  or  sorceress,  but  just  a 
woman — like  her  you  lost." 

I  looked  at  her  doubtfully  and  answered: 

"  Women  do  not  sleep  for  two  hundred  thousand 
years.  Women  do  not  take  dream  journeys  to  the 
stars.  Women  do  not  make  the  dead  past  live  again 
before  the  watcher's  eyes.  Their  hair  does  not  glimmer 
in  the  dusk  nor  do  their  bodies  gleam,  nor  have  they 
such  strength  of  soul  or  eyes  so  wonderful,  or  loveliness 
so  great." 

These  words  appeared  to  distress  her  who,  as  it 
seemed  to  me,  was  above  all  things  anxious  to  prove 
herself  woman  and  no  more. 

"  All  these  qualities  are  nothing,  Humphrey,"  she 
cried.  "  As  for  the  beauty,  such  as  it  is,  it  comes  to  me 


In  the  Temple  of  Fate  345 

with  my  blood,  and  with  it  the  glitter  of  my  hair  which 
is  the  heritage  of  those  who  for  generations  have  drunk 
of  the  Life- water.  My  mother  was  lovelier  than  I,  as 
was  her  mother,  or  so  I  have  heard,  since  only  the 
fairest  were  the  wives  of  the  Kings  of  the  Children  of 
Wisdom.  For  the  rest,  such  arts  as  I  have  spring  not 
from  magic,  but  from  knowledge  which  your  people 
will  acquire  in  days  to  come,  that  is,  if  Oro  spares  them. 
Surely  you  above  all  should  know  that  I  am  only 
woman,"  she  added  very  slowly  and  searching  my  face 
with  her  eyes. 

"  Why,  Yva  ?  During  the  little  while  that  we  have 
been  together  I  have  seen  much  which  makes  me  doubt. 
Even  Bickley  the  sceptic  doubts  also." 

"  I  will  tell  you,  though  I  am  not  sure  that  you  will 
believe  me."  She  glanced  about  her  as  though  she 
were  frightened  lest  someone  should  overhear  her  words 
or  read  her  thoughts.  Then  she  stretched  out  her 
hands  and  drawing  my  head  towards  her,  put  her  lips 
to  my  ear  and  whispered: 

"  Because  once  you  saw  me  die,  as  women  often  die 
— giving  life  for  life." 

"  I  saw  you  die  ?  "  I  gasped. 

She  nodded,  then  continued  to  whisper  in  my  ear, 
not  in  her  own  voice,  but  another's : 

"  Go  where  you  seem  called  to  go,  far  away.  Oh! 
the  wonderful  place  in  which  you  will  find  me,  not 
knowing  that  you  have  found  me.  Good-bye  for  a 
little  while;  only  for  a  little  while,  my  own,  my 
own! " 

I  knew  the  voice  as  I  knew  the  words,  and  knowing, 
I  think  that  I  should  have  fallen  to  the  ground,  had  she 
not  supported  me  with  her  strong  arms. 


346  When  the  World  Shook 

"Who  told  you?"  I  stammered.  "Was  it  Bickley 
or  Bastin?  They  knew,  though  neither  of  them  heard 
those  holy  words." 

"  Not  Bickley  nor  Bastin,"  she  answered,  shaking  her 
head,  "  no,  nor  you  yourself,  awake  or  sleeping,  though 
once,  by  the  lake  yonder,  you  said  to  me  that  when  a 
certain  one  lay  dying,  she  bade  you  seek  her  elsewhere, 
for  certainly  you  would  find  her.  Humphrey,  I  cannot 
say  who  told  me  those  words  because  I  do  not  know.  / 
think  they  are  a  memory,  Humphrey! " 

"That  would  mean  that  you,  Yva,  are  the  same  as 
one  who  was — not  called  Yva." 

"The  same  as  one  who  was  called  Natalie,  Hum- 
phrey," she  replied  in  solemn  accents.  "  One  whom  you 
loved  and  whom  you  lost." 

"  Then  you  think  that  we  live  again  upon  this 
earth?" 

"  Again  and  yet  again,  until  the  time  comes  for  us 
to  leave  the  earth  for  ever.  Of  this,  indeed,  I  am  sure, 
for  that  knowledge  was  part  of  the  secret  wisdom  of 
my  people." 

"  But  you  were  not  dead.    You  only  slept." 

"  The  sleep  was  a  death-sleep  which  went  by  like  a 
flash,  yes,  in  an  instant,  or  so  it  seemed.  Only  the  shell 
of  the  body  remained  preserved  by  mortal  arts,  and 
when  the  returning  spirit  and  the  light  of  life  were 
poured  into  it  again,  it  awoke.  But  during  this  long 
death-sleep,  that  spirit  may  have  spoken  through  other 
lips  and  that  light  may  have  shone  through  other  eyes, 
though  of  these  I  remember  nothing." 

"  Then  that  dream  of  our  visit  to  a  certain  star  may 
be  no  dream  ?  " 

"  I  think  no  dream,  and  you,  too,  have  thought  as 
much." 


In  the  Temple  of  Fate  347 

"  In  a  way,  yes,  Yva.  But  I  could  not  believe  and 
turned  from  what  I  held  to  be  a  phantasy." 

"  It  was  natural,  Humphrey,  that  you  should  not 
believe.  Hearken !  In  this  temple  a  while  ago  I  showed 
you  a  picture  of  myself  and  of  a  man  who  loved  me  and 
whom  I  loved,  and  of  his  death  at  Oro's  hands.  Did 
you  note  anything  about  that  man  ?  " 

"  Bickley  did,"  I  answered.    "  Was  he  right?  " 

"  I  think  that  he  was  right,  since  otherwise  I  should 
not  have  loved  you,  Humphrey." 

"  I  remember  nothing  of  that  man,  Yva." 

"  It  is  probable  that  you  would  not,  since  you  and 
he  are  very  far  apart,  while  between  you  and  him  flow 
wide  seas  of  death,  wherein  are  set  islands  of  life; 
perhaps  many  of  them.  But  I  remember  much  who 
seem  to  have  left  him  but  a  very  little  while 
ago." 

"  When  you  awoke  in  your  coffin  and  threw  your 
arms  about  me,  what  did  you  think,  Yva?  " 

"  I  thought  you  were  that  man,  Humphrey." 

There  was  silence  between  us  and  in  that  silence  the 
truth  came  home  to  me.  Then  there  before  the  effigy 
of  Fate  and  in  the  desolate,  glowing  temple  we  plighted 
anew  our  troth  made  holy  by  a  past  that  thus  so 
wonderfully  lived  again. 

Of  this  consecrated  hour  I  say  no  more.  Let  each 
picture  it  as  he  will.  A  glory  as  of  heaven  fell  upon  us 
and  in  it  we  dwelt  a  space. 

"  Beloved,"  she  whispered  at  length  in  a  voice  that 
was  choked  as  though  with  tears,  "  if  it  chances  that  we 
should  be  separated  again  for  a  little  while,  you  will  not 
grieve  over  much?  " 

"  Knowing   all    I    should    try   not   to   grieve,    Yva, 


348  When  the  World  Shook 

seeing  that  in  truth  we  never  can  be  parted.  But  do  you 
mean  that  I  shall  die  ?  " 

"  Being  mortal  either  of  us  might  seem  to  die, 
Humphrey,"  and  she  bent  her  head  as  though  to  hide 
her  face.  "  You  know  we  go  into  dangers  this  day." 

"  Does  Oro  really  purpose  to  destroy  much  of  the 
world  and  has  he  in  truth  the  power,  Yva  ?  " 

"  He  does  so  purpose  and  most  certainly  he  has  the 
power,  unless — unless  some  other  Power  should  stay 
his  hand." 

"  What  other  power,  Yva?  " 

"  Oh !  perhaps  that  which  you  worship,  that  which 
is  called  Love.  The  love  of  man  may  avert  the  mas- 
sacre of  men.  I  hope  so  with  all  my  heart.  Hist! 
Oro  comes.  I  feel,  I  know  that  he  comes,  though  not  in 
search  of  us  who  are  very  far  from  his  thought  to-night. 
Follow  me.  Swiftly." 

She  sped  across  the  temple  to  where  a  chapel  opened 
out  of  it,  which  was  full  of  the  statues  of  dead  kings,  for 
here  was  the  entrance  to  their  burial  vault.  We  reached 
it  and  hid  behind  the  base  of  one  of  these  statues.  By 
standing  to  our  full  height,  without  being  seen  we  still 
could  see  between  the  feet  of  the  statue  that  stood  upon 
a  pedestal. 

Then  Oro  came. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE   CHARIOT   OF   THE   PIT 

ORO  came  and  of  necessity  alone.  Yet  there  was  that 
in  his  air  as  he  advanced  into  the  temple,  which  sug- 
gested a  monarch  surrounded  by  the  pomp  and  panoply 
of  a  great  court.  He  marched,  his  head  held  high,  as 
though  heralds  and  pursuivants  went  in  front  of  him, 
as  though  nobles  surrounded  him  and  guards  or 
regiments  followed  after  him.  Let  it  be  admitted  that 
he  was  a  great  figure  in  his  gorgeous  robes,  with  his 
long  white  beard,  his  hawk-like  features,  his  tall  shape 
and  his  glittering  eyes,  which  even  at  that  distance  I 
could  see.  Indeed  once  or  twice  I  thought  that  he 
glanced  out  of  the  corners  of  them  towards  the  chapel 
where  we  were  hid.  But  this  I  think  was  fancy.  For 
as  Yva  said,  his  thoughts  were  set  elsewhere. 

He  reached  the  statue  of  Fate  and  stood  for  a  while 
contemplating  it  and  the  suppliant  figures  on  either 
side,  as  though  he  were  waiting  for  his  invisible  court 
to  arrange  itself.  Then  he  doffed  his  jewelled  cap  to 
the  effigy,  and  knelt  before  it.  Yes,  Oro  the  Ancient, 
the  Super-man,  the  God,  as  the  early  peoples  of  the  earth 
fancied  such  a  being,  namely,  one  full  of  wrath,  re- 
venge, jealousy,  caprice  and  power,  knelt  in  supplica- 
tion to  this  image  of  stone  which  he  believed  to  be  the 
home  of  a  spirit,  thereby  showing  himself  to  be  after  all 
not  so  far  removed  from  the  savages  whose  idol  Bastin 
had  destroyed.  More,  in  a  clear  and  resonant  voice 

349 


350  When  the  World  Shook 

which  reached  us  even  across  that  great  space,  he  put 
up  his  prayer.  It  ran  something  as  follows,  for 
although  I  did  not  understand  the  language  in  which 
he  spoke  Yva  translated  it  to  me  in  a  whisper : 

"  God  of  the  Sons  of  Wisdom,  God  of  the  whole 
earth,  only  God  to  whom  must  bow  every  other  Power 
and  Dominion,  to  thee  I,  Oro  the  Great  King,  make 
prayer  and  offer  sacrifice.  Twenty  times  ten  thousand 
years  and  more  have  gone  by  since  I,  Oro,  visited  this, 
thy  temple  and  knelt  before  this,  thy  living  effigy,  yet 
thou,  ruler  of  the  world,  dost  remember  the  prayer  I 
made  and  the  sacrifice  I  offered.  The  prayer  was  for 
triumph  over  my  enemies  and  the  sacrifice  a  promise  of 
the  lives  of  half  of  those  who  in  that  day  dwelt  upon  the 
earth.  Thou  heardest  the  prayer,  thou  didst  bow  thy 
head  and  accept  the  sacrifice.  Yea,  the  prayer  was 
granted  and  the  sacrifice  was  made,  and  in  it  were 
counted  the  number  of  my  foes. 

"  Then  I  slept.  Through  countless  generations  I 
slept  on  and  at  my  side  was  the  one  child  of  my  body 
that  was  left  to  me.  What  chanced  to  my  spirit  and  to 
hers  during  that  sleep,  thou  knowest  alone,  but  doubt- 
less they  went  forth  to  work  thy  ends. 

"  At  the  appointed  time  which  thou  didst  decree,  I 
awoke  again  and  found  in  my  house  strangers  from 
another  land.  In  the  company  of  one  of  those  whose 
spirit  I  drew  forth,  I  visited  the  peoples  of  the  new 
earth,  and  found  them  even  baser  and  more  evil  than 
those  whom  I  had  known.  Therefore,  since  they  can- 
not be  bettered,  I  purpose  to  destroy  them  also,  and  on 
their  wreck  to  rebuild  a  glorious  empire,  such  as  was 
that  of  the  Sons  of  Wisdom  at  its  prime. 

"  A  sign !  O  Fate,  ruler  of  the  world,  give  me  a 
sign  that  my  desire  shall  be  fulfilled." 


The  Chariot  of  the  Pit  351 

He  paused,  stretching  out  his  arms  and  staring  up- 
wards. While  he  waited  I  felt  the  solid  rock  on  which 
I  stood  quiver  and  sway  beneath  my  feet  so  that  Yva 
and  I  clung  to  each  other  lest  we  should  fall.  This 
chanced  also.  The  shock  of  the  earth  tremor,  for  such 
without  doubt  it  was,  threw  down  the  figures  of  the 
ancient  man  and  the  lovely  woman  which  knelt  as 
though  making  prayers  to  Fate,  and  shook  the  marble 
sword  from  off  its  knees.  As  it  fell  Oro  caught  it  by 
the  hilt,  and,  rising,  waved  it  in  triumph. 

"  I  thank  thee,  God  of  my  people  from  the  begin- 
ning," he  cried.  "  Thou  hast  given  to  me,  thy  last  ser- 
vant, thine  own  sword  and  I  will  use  it  well.  For  these 
worshippers  of  thine  who  have  fallen,  thou  shalt  have 
others,  yes,  all  those  who  dwell  in  the  new  world  that 
is  to  be.  My  daughter  and  the  man  whom  she  has 
chosen  to  be  the  father  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and 
with  him  his  companions,  shall  be  the  first  of  the 
hundreds  of  millions  that  are  to  follow,  for  they  shall 
kiss  thy  feet  or  perish.  Thou  shalt  set  thy  foot  upon 
the  necks  of  all  other  gods;  thou  shalt  rule  and  thou 
alone,  and,  as  of  old,  Oro  be  thy  minister." 

Still  holding  the  sword,  he  flung  himself  down  as 
though  in  an  ecstasy,  and  was  silent. 

"  I  read  the  omen  otherwise,"  whispered  Yva.  "  The 
worshippers  of  Fate  are  overthrown.  His  sword  of 
power  is  fallen,  but  not  into  the  hands  that  clasped  it, 
and  he  totters  on  his  throne.  A  greater  God  asserts 
dominion  of  the  world  and  this  Fate  is  but  his  instru- 
ment." 

Oro  rose  again. 

"  One  prayer  more,"  he  cried.  "  Give  me  life,  long 
life,  that  I  may  execute  thy  decrees.  By  word  or 
gesture  show  me  a  sign  that  I  shall  be  satisfied  with 


When  the  World  Shook 

life,  a  year  for  every  year  that  I  have  lived,  or  twain!  " 

He  waited,  staring  about  him,  but  no  token  came; 
the  idol  did  not  speak  or  bow  its  head,  as  Yva  had  told 
me  it  was  wont  to  do  in  sign  of  accepted  prayer,  how,  she 
knew  not.  Only  I  thought  I  heard  the  echo  of  Oro's  cries 
run  in  a  whisper  of  mockery  round  the  soaring  dome. 

Once  more  Oro  flung  himself  upon  his  knees  and 
began  to  pray  in  a  veritable  agony. 

"  God  of  my  forefathers,  God  of  my  lost  people,  I 
will  hide  naught  from  thee,"  he  said.  "  I  who  fear 
nothing  else,  fear  death.  The  priest-fool  yonder  with 
his  new  faith,  has  spoken  blundering  words  of  judgment 
and  damnation  which,  though  I  do  not  believe  them, 
yet  stick  in  my  heart  like  arrows.  I  will  stamp  out  his 
faith,  and  with  this  ancient  sword  of  thine  drive  back 
the  new  gods  into  the  darkness  whence  they  came.  Yet 
what  if  some  water  of  Truth  flows  through  the  channel 
of  his  leaden  lips,  and  what  if  because  I  have  ruled  and 
will  rule  as  thou  didst  decree,  therefore,  in  some  dim 
place  of  souls,  I  must  bear  these  burdens  of  terror  and 
of  doom  which  I  have  bound  upon  the  backs  of  others! 
Nay,  it  cannot  be,  for  what  power  is  there  in  all  the 
universe  that  dares  to  make  a  slave  of  Oro  and  to  afflict 
him  with  stripes? 

"Yet  this  can  be  and  mayhap  will  be,  that  presently 
I  lose  my  path  in  the  ways  of  everlasting  darkness,  and 
become  strengthless  and  forgotten  as  are  those  who 
went  before  me,  while  my  crown  of  Power  shines  on 
younger  brows.  Alas!  I  grow  old,  since  aeons  of  sleep 
have  not  renewed  my  strength.  My  time  is  short  and 
yet  I  would  not  die  as  mortals  must.  Oh!  God  of  my 
people,  whom  I  have  served  so  well,  save  me  from  the 
death  I  dread.  For  I  would  not  die.  Give  me  a  sign ; 
give  me  the  ancient,  sacred  sign!" 


The  Chariot  of  the  Pit  353 

So  he  spoke,  lifting  his  proud  and  splendid  head 
and  watching  the  statue  with  wide,  expectant  eyes. 

"  Thou  dost  not  answer,"  he  cried  again.  "  Wouldst 
thou  desert  me,  Fate?  Then  beware  lest  I  set  up  some 
new  god  against  thee  and  hurl  thee  from  thine  im- 
memorial throne.  While  I  live  I  still  have  powers,  I 
who  am  the  last  of  thy  worshippers,  since  it  seems  that 
my  daughter  turns  her  back  on  thee.  I  will  get  me  to 
the  sepulchre  of  the  kings  and  take  counsel  with  the  dust 
of  that  wizard  who  first  taught  me  wisdom.  Even  from 
the  depths  of  death  he  must  come  to  my  call  clad  in  a 
mockery  of  life,  and  comfort  me.  A  little  while  yet  I 
will  wait,  and  it  thou  answer  not,  then  Fate,  soon  I'll 
tear  the  sceptre  from  thy  hand,  and  thou  shalt  join  the 
company  of  dead  gods."  And  throwing  aside  the 
sword,  again  Oro  laid  down  his  head  upon  the  ground 
and  stretched  out  his  arms  in  the  last  abasement  of 
supplication. 

'  Come/  whispered  Yva,  "  while  there  is  yet  time. 
Presently  he  will  seek  this  place  to  descend  to  the 
sepulchre,  and  if  he  learns  that  we  have  read  his  heart 
and  know  him  for  a  coward  deserted  of  his  outworn 
god.  surely  he  will  blot  us  out.  Come,  and  be  swift 
and  silent." 

We  crept  out  of  the  chapel,  Yva  leading,  and  along 
the  circle  of  the  great  dome  till  we  reached  the  gates. 
Here  I  glanced  back  and  perceived  that  Oro,  looking 
unutterably  small  in  that  vastness,  looking  like  a  dead 
man,  still  lay  outstretched  before  the  stern-faced,  un- 
answering  Effigy  which,  with  all  his  wisdom,  he  be- 
lieved to  be  living  and  divine.  Perhaps  once  it  was, 
but  if  so  its  star  had  set  for  ever,  like  those  of  Amon, 
Jupiter  and  Baal,  and  he  was  its  last  worshipper. 

Now  we  were  safe,  but  still   we  sped  on  till  we 


'354  When  the  World  Shook 

reached  the  portico  of  our  sleeping  place.     Then  Yva 
turned  and  spoke. 

"  It  is  horrible,"  she  said,  "  and  my  soul  sickens.  Oh, 
I  thank  the  Strength  which  made  it  that  I  have  no 
desire  to  rule  the  earth,  and,  being  innocent  of  death,  do 
not  fear  to  die  and  cross  his  threshold." 

"  Yes,  it  is  horrible,"  I  answered.  "  Yet  all  men 
fear  death." 

"  Not  when  they  have  found  love,  Humphrey,  for 
that  I  think  is  his  true  name,  and,  with  it  written  on  his 
brow,  he  stands  upon  the  neck  of  Fate  who  is  still  my 
father's  god." 

"  Then  he  is  not  yours,  Yva?  " 

"  Nay.  Once  it  was  so,  but  now  I  reject  him ;  he  is 
no  longer  mine.  As  Oro  threatens,  and  perchance  dare 
do  in  his  rage,  I  have  broken  his  chain,  though  in  an- 
other fashion.  Ask  me  no  more;  perhaps  one  day  you 
will  learn  the  path  I  trod  to  freedom." 

Then  before  I  could  speak,  she  went  off : 

"  Rest  now,  for  within  a  few  hours  I  must  come  to 
lead  you  and  your  companions  to  a  terrible  place.  Yet 
whatever  you  may  see  or  hear,  be  not  afraid,  Hum- 
phrey, for  I  think  that  Oro's  god  has  no  power  over 
you,  strong  though  he  was,  and  that  Oro's  plans  will 
fail,  while  I,  who  too  have  knowledge,  shall  find 
strength  to  save  the  world." 

Then  of  a  sudden,  once  again  she  grew  splendid, 
almost  divine;  no  more  a  woman  but  as  it  were  an 
angel.  Some  fire  of  pure  purpose  seemed  to  burn  up 
in  her  and  to  shine  out  of  her  eyes.  Yet  she  said  little. 
Only  this  indeed : 

"  To  everyone,  I  think,  there  comes  the  moment  of 
opportunity  when  choice  must  be  made  between  what 
is  great  and  what  is  small,  between  self  and  its  desires 


The  Chariot  of  the  Pit  355 

and  the  good  of  other  wanderers  in  the  way.  This  day 
that  moment  may  draw  near  to  you  or  me,  and  if  so, 
surely  we  shall  greet  it  well.  Such  is  Bastin's  lesson, 
which  I  have  striven  to  learn." 

Then  she  flung  her  arms  about  me  and  kissed  me  on 
the  brow  as  a  mother  might,  and  was  gone. 

Strangely  enough,  perhaps  because  of  my  mental 
exhaustion,  for  what  I  had  passed  through  seemed  to 
overwhelm  me  so  that  I  could  no  longer  so  much  as 
think  with  clearness,  even  after  all  that  I  have  described 
I  slept  like  a  child  and  awoke  refreshed  and  well. 

I  looked  at  my  watch  to  find  that  it  was  now  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  in  this  horrible  place  where 
there  was  neither  morn,  nor  noon,  nor  night,  but  only 
an  eternal  brightness  that  came  I  knew  not  whence,  and 
never  learned. 

I  found  that  I  was  alone,  since  Bickley  and  Bastin 
had  gone  to  fill  our  bottles  with  the  Life-water.  Pre- 
sently they  returned  and  we  ate  a  little;  with  that  water 
to  drink  one  did  not  need  much  food.  It  was  a  some- 
what silent  meal,  for  our  circumstances  were  a  check  on 
talk;  moreover,  I  thought  that  the  others  looked  at  me 
rather  oddly.  Perhaps  they  guessed  something  of  my 
midnight  visit  to  the  temple,  but  if  so  they  thought  it 
wisest  to  say  nothing.  Nor  did  I  enlighten  them. 

Shortly  after  we  had  finished  Yva  appeared.  She 
was  wonderfully  quiet  and  gentle  in  her  manner,  calm 
also,  and  greeted  all  of  us  with  much  sweetness.  Of 
our  experiences  during  the  night  she  said  no  word  to 
me,  even  when  we  were  alone.  One  difference  I  noticed 
about  her,  however;  that  she  was  clothed  in  garments 
such  as  I  had  never  seen  her  wear  before.  They  were 
close  fitting,  save  for  a  flowing  cape,  and  made  of  some 


356  When  the  World  Shook 

grey  material,  not  unlike  a  coarse  homespun  or  even 
asbestos  cloth.  Still  they  became  her  very  well,  and 
when  I  remarked  upon  them,  all  she  answered  was  that 
part  of  our  road  would  be  rough.  Even  her  feet  were 
shod  with  high  buskins  of  this  grey  stuff. 

Presently  she  touched  Bastin  on  the  shoulder  and 
said  that  she  would  speak  with  him  apart.  They  went 
together  into  one  of  the  chambers  of  that  dwelling  and 
there  remained  for  perhaps  the  half  of  an  hour.  It 
was  towards  the  end  of  this  time  that  in  the  intense 
silence  I  heard  a  crash  from  the  direction  of  the 
temple,  as  though  something  heavy  had  fallen  to 
the  rocky  floor.  Bickley  also  heard  this  sound.  When 
the  two  reappeared  I  noticed  that  though  still  quite 
calm,  Yva  looked  radiant,  and,  if  I  may  say  so,  even 
more  human  and  womanly  than  I  had  ever  seen  her, 
while  Bastin  also  seemed  very  happy. 

"  One  has  strange  experiences  in  life,  yes,  very 
strange,"  he  remarked,  apparently  addressing  the  air, 
which  left  me  wondering  to  what  particular  experience 
he  might  refer.  Well,  I  thought  that  I  could  guess. 

"  Friends,"  said  Yva,  "  it  is  time  for  us  to  be  going 
and  I  am  your  guide.  You  will  meet  the  Lord  Oro  at 
the  end  of  your  journey.  I  pray  you  to  bring  those 
lamps  of  yours  with  you,  since  all  the  road  is  not 
lightened  like  this  place." 

"  I  should  like  to  ask,"  said  Bickley,  "  whither  we  go 
and  for  what  object,  points  on  which  up  to  the  present 
we  have  had  no  definite  information." 

"  We  go,  friend  Bickley,  deep  into  the  bowels  of  the 
world,  far  deeper,  I  think,  than  any  mortal  men  have 
gone  hitherto,  that  is,  of  your  race." 

"  Then  we  shall  perish  of  heat,"  said  Bickley,  "  for  with 
every  thousand  feet  the  temperature  rises  many  degrees." 


The  Chariot  of  the  Pit  357 

"  Not  so.  You  will  pass  through  a  zone  of  heat,  but 
so  swiftly  that  if  you  hold  your  breath  you  will  not 
suffer  overmuch.  Then  you  will  come  to  a  place  where 
a  great  draught  blows  which  will  keep  you  cool,  and 
thence  travel  on  to  the  end." 

"  Yes,  but  to  what  end,  Lady  Yva?  " 

"  That  you  will  see  for  yourselves,  and  with  it  other 
wondrous  things." 

Here  some  new  idea  seemed  to  strike  her,  and  after 
a  little  hesitation  she  added : 

"  Yet  why  should  you  go  ?  Oro  has  commanded  it, 
it  is  true,  but  I  think  that  at  the  last  he  will  forget.  It 
must  be  decided  swiftly.  There  is  yet  time.  I  can 
place  you  in  safety  in  the  sepulchre  of  Sleep  where  you 
found  us.  Thence  cross  to  the  main  island  and  sail 
away  quickly  in  your  boat  out  into  the  great  sea,  where 
I  believe  you  will  find  succour.  Know  that  after  dis- 
obeying him,  you  must  meet  Oro  no  more  lest  it  should 
be  the  worse  for  you.  If  that  be  your  will,  let  us  start. 
What  say  you?" 

She  looked  at  me. 

"  I  say,  Yva,  that  I  am  willing  to  go  if  you  come 
with  us.  Not  otherwise." 

"  I  say,"  said  Bickley,  "  that  I  want  to  see  all  this 
supernatural  rubbish  thoroughly  exploded,  and  that 
therefore  I  should  prefer  to  go  on  with  the  busi- 
ness." 

"  And  I  say,"  said  Bastin,  "  that  my  most  earnest 
desire  is  to  be  clear  of  the  whole  thing,  which  wearies 
and  perplexes  me  more  than  I  can  tell.  Only  I  am  not 
going  to  run  away,  unless  you  think  it  desirable  to  do 
so  too,  Lady  Yva.  I  want  you  to  understand  that  I  am 
not  in  the  least  afraid  of  the  Lord  Oro,  and  do  not  for 
one  moment  believe  that  he  will  be  allowed  to  bring 


358  When  the  World  Shook 

about  disaster  to  the  world,  as  I  understand  is  his 
wicked  object.  Therefore  on  the  whole  I  am  indifferent 
and  quite  prepared  to  accept  any  decision  at  which  the 
rest  of  you  may  arrive." 

"  Be  it  understood,"  said  Yva  with  a  little  smile 
when  Bastin  had  finished  his  sermonette,  "  that  I  must 
join  my  father  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  for  a  reason 
which  will  be  made  plain  afterwards.  Therefore,  if  you 
go  we  part,  as  I  think  to  meet  no  more.  Still  my 
advice  is  that  you  should  go."  * 

To  this  our  only  answer  was  to  attend  to  the  lighting 
of  our  lamps  and  the  disposal  of  our  small  impedimenta, 
such  as  our  tins  of  oil  and  water  bottles.  Yva  noted  this 
and  laughed  outright. 

"  Courage  did  not  die  with  the  Sons  of  Wisdom," 
she  said. 

Then  we  set  out,  Yva  walking  ahead  of  us  and 
Tommy  frisking  at  her  side. 

Our  road  led  us  through  the  temple.  As  we  passed 
the  great  gates  I  started,  for  there,  in  the  centre  of  that 
glorious  building,  I  perceived  a  change.  The  statue  of 
Fate  was  no  more!  It  lay  broken  upon  the  pavement 
among  those  fragments  of  its  two  worshippers  which  I 
had  seen  shaken  down  some  hours  before. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  I  whispered  to  Yva.  "  I 
have  felt  no  other  earthquake." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  she  answered,  "  or  if  I  know  I  may 
not  say.  Yet  learn  that  no  god  can  live  on  without  a 
single  worshipper,  and,  in  a  fashion,  that  idol  was  alive, 
though  this  you  will  not  believe." 

"  How  very  remarkable,"  said  Bastin,  contemplating 

*  It  is  fortunate  that  we  did  not  accept  Yva's  offer.  Had  we  done 
so  we  should  have  found  ourselves  shut  in,  and  perished,  as  shall 
be  told.— H-  A. 


The  Chariot  of  the  Pit  359 

the  ruin.  "  If  I  were  superstitious,  which  I  am  not,  I 
should  say  that  this  occurrence  was  an  omen  indicating 
the  final  fall  of  a  false  god.  At  any  rate  it  is  dead  now, 
and  I  wonder  what  caused  it  ?  " 

"  I  felt  an  earth  tremor  last  night,"  said  Bickley, 
"  though  it  is  odd  that  it  should  only  have  affected  this 
particular  statue.  A  thousand  pities,  for  it  was  a 
wonderful  work  of  art." 

Then  I  remembered  and  reminded  Bickley  of  the 
crash  which  we  had  heard  while  Yva  and  Bastin  were 
absent  on  some  secret  business  in  the  chamber. 

Walking  the  length  of  the  great  church,  if  so  it 
could  be  called,  we  came  to  an  apse  at  the  head  of  it 
where,  had  it  been  Christian,  the  altar  would  have 
stood.  In  this  apse  was  a  little  open  door  through 
which  we  passed.  Beyond  it  lay  a  space  of  rough  rock 
that  looked  as  though  it  had  been  partially  prepared  for 
the  erection  of  buildings  and  then  abandoned.  All  this 
space  was  lighted,  however,  like  the  rest  of  the  City  of 
Nyo,  and  in  the  same  mysterious  way.  Led  by  Yva, 
we  threaded  our  path  between  the  rough  stones,  following 
a  steep  downward  slope.  Thus  we  walked  for  perhaps 
half  a  mile,  till  at  length  we  came  to  the  mouth  of  a 
huge  pit  that  must,  I  imagine,  have  lain  quite  a  thou- 
sand feet  below  the  level  of  the  temple. 

I  looked  over  the  edge  of  this  pit  and  shrank  back 
terrified.  It  seemed  to  be  bottomless.  Moreover,  a 
great  wind  rushed  up  it  with  a  roaring  sound  like  to  that 
of  an  angry  sea.  Or  rather  there  were  two  winds,  per- 
haps draughts  would  be  a  better  term,  if  I  may  apply  it 
to  an  air  movement  of  so  fierce  and  terrible  a  nature. 
One  of  these  rushed  up  the  pit,  and  one  rushed  down. 
Or  it  may  have  been  that  the  up  rush  alternated  with 
the  down  rush.  Really  it  is  impossible  to  say. 


360  When  the  World  Shook 

"  What  is  this  place  ?  "  I  asked,  clinging  to  the 
others  and  shrinking  back  in  alarm  from  its  sheer  edge 
and  bottomless  depth,  for  that  this  was  enormous  we 
could  see  by  the  shaft  of  light  which  flowed  downwards 
farther  than  the  eye  could  follow. 

"  It  is  a  vent  up  and  down  which  air  passes  from  and 
to  the  central  hollows  of  the  earth,"  Yva  answered. 
"  Doubtless  in  the  beginning  through  it  travelled  that 
mighty  force  which  blew  out  these  caves  in  the  heated 
rocks,  as  the  craftsman  blows  out  glass." 

"  I  understand,"  said  Bastin.  "  Just  like  one  blows 
out  a  bubble  on  a  pipe,  only  on  a  larger  scale.  Well, 
it  is  very  interesting,  but  I  have  seen  enough  of  it. 
Also  I  am  afraid  of  being  blown  away." 

"  I  fear  that  you  must  see  more,"  answered  Yva  with 
a  smile,  "  since  we  are  about  to  descend  this  pit." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  we  are  to  go  down  that  hole,  and 
if  so,  how?  I  don't  see  any  lift,  or  moving  staircase, 
or  anything  of  that  sort." 

"  Easily  and  safely  enough,  Bastin.    See." 

As  she  spoke  a  great  flat  rock  of  the  size  of  a  small 
room  appeared,  borne  upwards,  as  I  suppose,  by  the 
terrific  draught  which  roared  past  us  on  its  upward 
course.  When  it  reached  the  lip  of  the  shaft,  it  hung  a 
little  while,  then  moved  across  and  began  to  descend 
with  such  incredible  swiftness  that  in  a  few  seconds  it 
had  vanished  from  view. 

"  Oh ! "  said  Bastin,  with  his  eyes  almost  starting 
out  of  his  head,  "  that's  the  lift,  is  it?  Well,  I  tell  you 
at  once  I  don't  like  the  look  of  the  thing.  It  gives  me 
the  creeps.  Suppose  it  tilted." 

"  It  does  not  tilt,"  answered  Yva,  still  smiling.  "  I 
tell  you,  Bastin,  that  there  is  naught  to  fear.  Only 
yesterday,  I  rode  this  rock  and  returned  unharmed." 


The  Chariot  of  the  Pit  361 

"  That  is  all  very  well,  Lady  Yva,  but  you  may  know 
how  to  balance  it;  also  when  to  get  on  and  off." 

"If  you  are  afraid,  Bastin,  remain  here  until  your 
companions  return.  They,  I  think,  will-  make  the 
journey." 

Bickley  and  I  intimated  that  we  would,  though  to 
tell  the  truth,  if  less  frank  we  were  quite  as  alarmed  as 
Bastin. 

"  No,  I'll  come  too.  I  suppose  one  may  as  well  die 
this  way  as  any  other,  and  if  anything  were  to  happen 
to  them  and  I  were  left  alone,  it  would  be  worse 
still." 

"  Then  be  prepared,"  said  Yva,  "  for  presently  this 
air-chariot  of  ours  will  return.  When  it  appears  and 
hangs  upon  the  edge,  step  on  to  it  and  throw  yourselves 
upon  your  faces  and  all  will  be  well.  At  the  foot  of  the 
shaft  the  motion  lessens  till  it  almost  stops,  and  it  is 
easy  to  spring,  or  even  crawl  to  the  firm  earth." 

Then  she  stooped  down  and  lifted  Tommy  who  was 
sniffing  suspiciously  at  the  edge  of  the  pit,  his  long  ears 
blown  straight  above  his  head,  holding  him  beneath  her 
left  arm  and  under  her  cloak,  that  he  might  not  see  and 
be  frightened. 

We  waited  a  while  in  silence,  perhaps  for  five  or  six 
minutes,  among  the  most  disagreeable,  I  think,  that 
I  ever  passed.  Then  far  down  in  the  brightness  below 
appeared  a  black  speck  that  seemed  to  grow  in  size  as 
it  rushed  upwards. 

"  It  comes,"  said  Yva.  "  Prepare  and  do  as  I  do. 
Do  not  spring,  or  run,  lest  you  should  go  too  far.  Step 
gently  on  to  the  rock  and  to  its  centre,  and  there  lie 
down.  Trust  in  me,  all  of  you." 

"  There's  nothing  else  to  do,"  groaned  Bastin. 

The  great  stone  appeared  and,  as  before,  hung  at 


362  When  the  World  Shook 

the  edge  of  the  pit.  Yva  stepped  on  to  it  quietly,  as 
she  did  so,  catching  hold  of  my  wrist  with  her  disen- 
gaged hand.  I  followed  her  feeling  very  sick,  and 
promptly  sat  down.  Then  came  Bickley  with  the  air  of 
the  virtuous  hero  of  a  romance  walking  a  pirate's  plank, 
and  also  sat  down.  Only  Bastin  hesitated  until  the 
stone  began  to  move  away.  Then  with  an  ejaculation 
of  "  Here  goes!  "  he  jumped  over  the  intervening  crack 
of  space  and  landed  in  the  middle  of  us  like  a  sack  of 
coal.  Had  I  not  been  seated  really  I  think  he  would 
have  knocked  me  off  the  rock.  As  it  was,  with  one 
hand  he  gripped  me  by  the  beard  and  with  the  other 
grasped  Yva's  robe,  of  neither  of  which  would  he  leave 
go  for  quite  a  long  time,  although  we  forced  him  on  to 
his  face.  The  lantern  which  he  held  flew  from  his 
grasp  and  descended  the  shaft  on  its  own  account. 

"  You  silly  fool ! "  exclaimed  Bickley  whose  per- 
turbation showed  itself  in  anger.  "  There  goes  one  of 
our  lamps." 

"  Hang  the  lamp ! "  muttered  the  prostrate  Bastin. 
"  We  shan't  want  it  in  Heaven,  or  the  other  place 
either.^ 

Now  the  stone  which  had  quivered  a  little  beneath 
the  impact  of  Bastin,  steadied  itself  again  and  with  a 
slow  and  majestic  movement  sailed  to  the  other  side  of 
the  gulf.  There  it  felt  the  force  of  gravity,  or  perhaps 
the  weight  of  the  returning  air  pressed  on  it,  which  I  do 
not  know.  At  any  rate  it  began  to  fall,  slowly  at  first, 
then  more  swiftly,  and  afterwards  at  an  incredible  pace, 
so  that  in  a  few  seconds  the  mouth  of  the  pit  above  us 
grew  small  and  presently  vanished  quite  away.  I 
looked  up  at  Yva  who  was  standing  composedly  in  the 
midst  of  our  prostrate  shapes.  She  bent  down  and 
called  in  my  ear : 


The  Chariot  of  the  Pit  363 

"  All  is  well.  The  heat  begins,  but  it  will  not  endure 
for  long." 

I  nodded  and  glanced  over  the  edge  of  the  stone  at 
Bastin's  lantern  which  was  sailing  alongside  of  us,  till 
presently  we  passed  it.  Bastin  had  lit  it  before  we 
started,  I  think  in  a  moment  of  aberration,  and  it  burned 
for  quite  a  long  while,  showing  like  a  star  when  the 
shaft  grew  darker  as  it  did  by  degrees,  a  circumstance 
that  testifies  to  the  excellence  of  the  make,  which  is  one 
advertised  not  to  go  out  in  any  wind.  Not  that  we  felt 
wind,  or  even  draught,  perhaps  because  we  were 
travelling  with  it. 

Then  we  entered  the  heat  zone.  About  this  there 
was  no  doubt,  for  the  perspiration  burst  out  all  over  me 
and  the  burning  air  scorched  my  lungs.  Also  Tommy 
thrust  his  head  from  beneath  the  cloak  with  his  tongue 
hanging  out  and  his  mouth  wide  open. 

"  Hold  your  breaths ! "  cried  Yva,  and  we  obeyed 
until  we  nearly  burst.  At  least  I  did,  but  what  hap- 
pened to  the  others  I  do  not  know. 

Fortunately  it  was  soon  over  and  the  air  began  to 
grow  cool  again.  By  now  we  had  travelled  an  enor- 
mous distance,  it  seemed  to  be  miles  on  miles,  and  I 
noticed  that  our  terrific  speed  was  slackening,  also  that 
the  shaft  grew  more  narrow,  till  at  length  there  were 
only  a  few  feet  between  the  edge  of  the  stone  and  its 
walls.  The  result  of  this,  or  so  I  supposed,  was  that 
the  compressed  air  acted  as  a  buffer,  lessening  our 
momentum,  till  at  length  the  huge  stone  moved  but 
very  slowly. 

"  Be  ready  to  follow  me,"  cried  Yva  again,  and  we 
rose  to  our  feet,  that  is,  Bickley  and  I  did,  but  poor 
Bastin  was  semi-comatose.  The  stone  stopped  and  Yva 
sprang  from  it  to  a  rock  platform  level  with  which  it  lay. 


364  When  the  World  Shook 

We  followed,  dragging  Bastin  between  us.  As  we  did 
so  something  hit  me  gently  on  the  head.  Is  was  Bastin's 
lamp,  which  I  seized. 

"  We  are  safe.  Sit  down  and  rest,"  said  Yva, 
leading  us  a  few  paces  away. 

We  obeyed  and  presently  by  the  dim  light  saw  the 
stone  begin  to  stir  again,  this  time  upwards.  In  another 
twenty  seconds  it  was  away  on  its  never-ending  journey. 

"  Does  it  always  go  on  like  that  ? "  said  Bastin, 
sitting  up  and  staring  after  it. 

"Tens  of  thousands  of  years  ago  it  was  journeying 
thus,  and  tens  of  thousands  of  years  hence  it  will  still 
be  journeying,  or  so  I  think,"  she  replied.  "  Why  not, 
since  the  strength  of  the  draught  never  changes  and 
there  is  nothing  to  wear  it  except  the  air  ?  " 

Somehow  the  vision  of  this  huge  stone,  first  loosed 
and  set  in  motion  by  heaven  knows  what  agency,  travel- 
ling from  aeon  to  aeon  up  and  down  that  shaft  in 
obedience  to  some  law  I  did  not  understand,  impressed 
my  imagination  like  a  nightmare.  Indeed  I  often  dream 
of  it  to  this  day. 

I  looked  about  me.  We  were  in  some  cavernous 
place  that  could  be  but  dimly  seen,  for  here  the  light 
that  flowed  down  the  shaft  from  the  upper  caves  where 
it  was  mysteriously  created,  scarcely  shone,  and  often 
indeed  was  entirely  cut  off,  when  the  ever-journeying 
stone  was  in  the  narrowest  parts  of  the  passage.  I  could 
see,  however,  that  this  cavern  stretched  away  both  to 
right  and  left  of  us,  while  I  felt  that  from  the  left,  as 
we  sat  facing  the  shaft,  there  drew  down  a  strong  blast 
of  fresh  air  which  suggested  that  somewhere,  however 
far  away,  it  must  open  on  to  the  upper  world.  For  the 
rest  its  bottom  and  walls  seemed  to  be  smooth  as 
though  they  had  been  planed  in  the  past  ages  by  the 


The  Chariot  of  the  Pit  365 

action  of  cosmic  forces.  Bickley  noticed  this  the  first 
and  pointed  it  out  to  me.  We  had  little  time  to  observe, 
however,  for  presently  Yva  said: 

"  If  you  are  rested,  friends,  I  pray  you  light  those 
lamps  of  yours,  since  we  must  walk  a  while  in 
darkness." 

We  did  and  started,  still  travelling  downhill.  Yva 
walked  ahead  with  me  and  Tommy  who  seemed  some- 
what depressed  and  clung  close  to  our  heels.  The  other 
two  followed,  arguing  strenuously  about  I  know  not 
what.  It  was  their  way  of  working  off  irritation  and 
alarms. 

I  asked  Yva  what  was  about  to  happen,  for  a  great 
fear  oppressed  me. 

"  I  am  not  sure,  Beloved,"  she  answered  in  a  sweet 
and  gentle  voice,  "  who  do  not  know  all  Oro's  secrets, 
but  as  I  think,  great  things.  We  are  now  deep  in  the 
bowels  of  the  world,  and  presently,  perhaps,  you  will 
see  some  of  its  mighty  forces  whereof  your  ignorant 
races  have  no  knowledge,  doing  their  everlasting 
work." 

"  Then  how  is  it  that  we  can  breathe  here  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Because  this  road  that  we  are  following  connects 
with  the  upper  air  or  used  to  do  so,  since  once  I  fol- 
lowed it.  It  is  a  long  road  and  the  climb  is  steep,  but 
at  last  it  leads  to  the  light  of  the  blessed  sun,  nor  are 
there  any  pitfalls  in  the  path.  Would  that  we  might 
tread  it  together,  Humphrey,"  she  added  with  passion, 
"  and  be  rid  of  mysteries  and  the  gloom,  or  that  light 
which  is  worse  than  gloom." 

"Why  not?"  I  asked  eagerly.  "Why  should  we 
not  turn  and  flee  ?  " 

"  Who  can  flee  from  my  father,  the  Lord  Oro  ?  "  she 
replied.  "  He  would  snare  us  before  we  had  gone  a 


366  When  the  World  Shook 

mile.  Moreover,  if  we  fled,  by  to-morrow  half  the 
world  must  perish." 

"  And  how  can  we  save  it  by  not  flying,  Yva?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  Humphrey,  yet  I  think  it  will  be 
saved,  perchance  by  sacrifice.  That  is  the  keystone  of 
your  faith,  is  it  not?  Therefore  if  it  is  asked  of  you  to 
save  the  world,  you  will  not  shrink  from  it,  will  you, 
Humphrey  ?  " 

"  I  hope  not,"  I  replied,  without  enthusiasm,  I 
admit.  Indeed  it  struck  me  that  a  business  of  this  sort 
was  better  fitted  to  Bastin  than  to  myself,  or  at  any  rate 
to  his  profession.  I  think  she  guessed  my  thoughts, 
for  by  the  light  of  the  lamp  I  saw  her  smile  in  her 
dazzling  way.  Then  after  a  swift  glance  behind  her, 
she  turned  and  suddenly  kissed  me,  as  she  did  so  call- 
ing down  everlasting  blessings  on  my  head  and  on  my 
spirit.  There  was  something  very  wonderful  about  this 
benediction  of  Yva's  and  it  thrilled  me  through  and 
through,  so  that  to  it  I  could  make  no  answer. 

Next  moment  it  was  too  late  to  retreat,  for  our  nar- 
rowing passage  turned  and  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
wondrous  place.  I  call  it  wondrous  because  of  it  we 
could  see  neither  the  beginning  nor  the  end,  nor  the 
roof,  nor  aught  else  save  the  rock  on  which  we  walked, 
and  the  side  or  wall  that  our  hands  touched.  Nor  was 
this  because  of  darkness,  since  although  it  was  not 
illuminated  like  the  upper  caverns,  light  of  a  sort  was 
present.  It  was  a  very  strange  light,  consisting  of  bril- 
liant and  intermittent  flashes,  or  globes  of  blue  and 
lambent  flame  which  seemed  to  leap  from  nowhere  into 
nowhere,  or  sometimes  to  hang  poised  in  mid  air. 

"  How  odd  they  are,"  said  the  voice  of  Bastin  behind 
me.  "They  remind  me  of  those  blue  sparks  which 
jump  up  from  the  wires  of  the  tramways  in  London 


The  Chariot  of  the  Pit  367 

on  a  dark  night.  You  know,  don't  you,  Bickley?  I 
mean  when  the  conductor  pulls  round  that  long  stick 
with  an  iron  wheel  on  the  top  of  it." 

"  Nobody  but  you  could  have  thought  of  such  a  com- 
parison, Bastin,"  answered  Bickley.  "  Still,  multiplied 
a  thousandfold  they  are  not  unlike." 

Nor  indeed  were  they,  except  that  each  blue  flash 
was  as  big  as  the  full  moon  and  in  one  place  or  another 
they  were  so  continuous  that  one  could  have  read  a 
letter  by  their  light.  Also  the  effect  of  them  was 
ghastly  and  most  unnatural,  terrifying,  too,  since  even 
their  brilliance  could  not  reveal  the  extent  of  that  gi- 
gantic hollow  in  the  bowels  of  the  world  wherein  they 
leapt  to  and  fro  like  lightnings,  or  hung  like  huge, 
uncanny  lanterns. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

SACRIFICE 

"  THE  air  in  this  place  must  be  charged  with  some  form 
of  electricity,  but  the  odd  thing  is  that  it  does  not  seem 
to  harm  us,"  said  Bickley  in  a  matter-of-fact  fashion  as 
though  he  were  determined  not  to  be  astonished. 

"  To  me  it  looks  more  like  marsh  fires  or  St.  Elmo 
lights,  though  how  these  can  be  where  there  is  no 
vapour,  I  do  not  know,"  I  answered. 

As  I  spoke  a  particularly  large  ball  of  flame  fell 
from  above.  It  resembled  a  shooting  star  or  a  meteor 
more  than  anything  else  that  I  had  ever  seen,  and  made 
me  wonder  whether  we  were  not  perhaps  standing  be- 
neath some  inky,  unseen  sky. 

Next  moment  I  forgot  such  speculations,  for  in  its 
blue  light,  which  made  him  terrible  and  ghastly,  I  per- 
ceived Oro  standing  in  front  of  us  clad  in  a  long  cloak. 

"  Dear  me ! "  said  Bastin,  "  he  looks  just  like  the 
devil,  doesn't  he,  and  now  I  come  to  think  of  it,  this 
isn't  at  all  a  bad  imitation  of  hell." 

"  How  do  you  know  it  is  an  imitation  ? "  asked 
Bickley. 

"  Because  whatever  might  be  the  case  with  you, 
Bickley,  if  it  were,  the  Lady  Yva  and  I  should  not  be 
here." 

Even  then  I  could  not  help  smiling  at  this  repartee, 
but  the  argument  went  no  further  for  Oro  held  up  his 
hand  and  Yva  bent  the  knee  in  greeting  to  him. 

"  So  you  have  come,  all  of  you,"  he  said.  "  I  thought 

368 


Sacrifice  369 

that  perhaps  there  were  one  or  two  who  would  not  find 
courage  to  ride  the  flying  stone.  I  am  glad  that  it  is 
not  so,  since  otherwise  he  who  had  shown  himself  a 
coward  should  have  had  no  share  in  the  rule  of  that 
new  world  which  is  to  be.  Therefore  I  chose  yonder 
road  that  it  might  test  you." 

"  Then  if  you  will  be  so  good  as  to  choose  another 
for  us  to  return  by,  I  shall  be  much  obliged  to  you, 
Oro,"  said  Bastin. 

"  How  do  you  know  that  if  I  did  it  would  not  be 
more  terrible,  Preacher?  How  do  you  know  indeed  that 
this  is  not  your  last  journey  from  which  there  is  no 
return?" 

"Of  course  I  can't  be  sure  of  anything,  Oro,  but  I 
think  the  question  is  one  which  you  might  more  appro- 
priately put  to  yourself.  According  to  your  own 
showing  you  are  now  extremely  old  and  therefore  your 
end  is  likely  to  come  at  any  moment.  Of  course,  how- 
ever, if  it  did  you  would  have  one  more  journey  to 
make,  but  it  wouldn't  be  polite  for  me  to  say  in  what 
direction." 

Oro  heard,  and  his  splendid,  icy  face  was  twisted 
with  sudden  rage.  Remembering  the  scene  in  the 
temple  where  he  had  grovelled  before  his  god,  uttering 
agonised,  unanswered  prayers  for  added  days,  I  under- 
stood the  reason  of  his  wrath.  It  was  so  great  that  I 
feared  lest  he  should  kill  Bastin  (who  only  a  few  hours 
before,  be  it  remembered,  had  tried  to  kill  him)  then 
and  there,  as  doubtless  he  could  have  done  if  he  wished. 
Fortunately,  if  he  felt  it;  the  impulse  passed. 

"  Miserable  fool !  "  he  said.  "  I  warn  you  to  keep  a 
watch  upon  your  words.  Yesterday  you  would  have 
slain  me  with  your  toy.  To-day  you  stab  me  with  your 
ill-omened  tongue.  Be  fearful  lest  I  silence  it  for  ever." 


370  When  the  World  Shook 

"  I  am  not  in  the  least  fearful,  Oro,  since  I  am 
sure  that  you  can't  hurt  me  at  all  any  more  than  I  could 
hurt  you  last  night  because,  you  see,  it  wasn't  per- 
mitted. When  the  time  comes  for  me  to  die,  I  shall  go, 
but  you  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  that.  To  tell  the 
truth,  I  am  very  sorry  for  you,  as  with  all  your  great- 
ness, your  soul  is  of  the  earth,  earthy,  also  sensual  and 
devilish,  as  the  Apostle  said,  and,  I  am  afraid,  very 
malignant,  and  you  will  have  a  great  deal  to  answer  for 
shortly.  Yours  won't  be  a  happy  deathbed,  Oro, 
because,  you  see,  you  glory  in  your  sins  and  don't  know 
what  repentance  means." 

I  must  add  that  when  I  heard  these  words  I  was 
filled  with  the  most  unbounded  admiration  for  Bastin's 
fearless  courage  which  enabled  him  thus  to  beard  this 
super-tyrant  in  his  den.  So  indeed  were  we  all,  for  I 
read  it  in  Yva's  face  and  heard  Bickley  mutter: 

"  Bravo !  Splendid !  After  all  there  is  something 
in  faith!" 

Even  Oro  appreciated  it  with  his  intellect,  if  not  with 
his  heart,  for  he  stared  at  the  man  and  made  no  answer. 
In  the  language  of  the  ring,  he  was  quite  "  knocked  out  " 
and,  almost  humbly,  changed  the  subject. 

"  We  have  yet  a  little  while,"  he  said,  "  before  that 
happens  which  I  have  decreed.  Come,  Humphrey,  that 
I  may  show  you  some  of  the  marvels  of  this  bubble 
blown  in  the  bowels  of  the  world,"  and  he  motioned  to 
us  to  pick  up  the  lanterns. 

Then  he  led  us  away  from  the  wall  of  the  cavern,  if 
such  it  was,  for  a  distance  of  perhaps  six  or  seven  hun- 
dred paces.  Here  suddenly  we  came  to  a  great  groove 
in  the  rocky  floor,  as  broad  as  a  very  wide  roadway,  and 
mayhap  four  feet  in  depth.  The  bottom  of  this  groove 
was  polished  and  glittered;  indeed  it  gave  us  the  im- 


Sacrifice  371 

pression  of  being  iron,  or  other  ore  which  had  been 
welded  together  beneath  the  grinding  of  some 
immeasurable  weight.  Just  at  the  spot  where  we  struck 
the  groove,  it  divided  into  two,  for  this  reason. 

In  its  centre  the  floor  of  iron,  or  whatever  it  may 
have  been,  rose,  the  fraction  of  an  inch  at  first,  but 
afterwards  more  sharply,  and  this  at  a  spot  where  the 
groove  had  a  somewhat  steep  downward  dip  which 
appeared  to  extend  onwards  I  know  not  how  far. 

Following  along  this  central  rise  for  a  great  way, 
nearly  a  mile,  I  should  think,  we  observed  that  it  be- 
came ever  more  pronounced,  till  at  length  it  ended  in 
a  razor-edge  cliff  which  stretched  up  higher  than  we 
could  see,  even  by  the  light  of  the  electrical  discharges. 
Standing  against  the  edge  of  this  cliff,  we  perceived 
that  at  a  distance  from  it  there  were  now  two  grooves 
of  about  equal  width.  One  of  these  ran  away  into  the 
darkness  on  our  right  as  we  faced  the  sharp  edge,  and 
at  an  ever-widening  angle,  while  the  other,  at  a  similar 
angle,  ran  into  the  darkness  to  the  left  of  the  knife  of 
cliff.  That  was  all. 

No,  there  were  two  more  notable  things.  Neither  of 
the  grooves  now  lay  within  hundreds  of  yards  of  the  cliff, 
perhap's  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  for  be  it  remembered  we 
had  followed  the  rising  rock  between  them.  To  put  it 
quite  clearly,  it  was  exactly  as  though  one  line  of  rails 
had  separated  into  two  lines  of  rails,  as  often  enough 
they  do,  and  an  observer  standing  on  high  ground 
between  could  see  them  both  vanishing  into  tunnels  to 
the  right  and  left,  but  far  apart. 

The  second  notable  thing  was  that  the  right-hand 
groove,  where  first  we  saw  it  at  the  point  of  separation, 
was  not  polished  like  the  left-hand  groove,  although  at 
some  time  or  other  it  seemed  to  have  been  subjected  to 


372  When  the  World  Shook 

the  pressure  of  the  same  terrific  weight  which  cut  its 
fellow  out  of  the  bed  of  rock  or  iron,  as  the  sharp  wheels 
of  a  heavily  laden  wagon  sink  ruts  into  a  roadway. 

"  What  does  it  all  mean,  Lord  Oro  ?  "  I  asked  when 
he  had  led  us  back  to  the  spot  where  the  one  groove 
began  to  be  two  grooves,  that  is,  a  mile  or  so  away 
from  the  razor-edged  cliff. 

"  This,  Humphrey,"  he  answered.  "  That  which 
travels  along  yonder  road,  when  it  reaches  this  spot  on 
which  we  stand,  follows  the  left-hand  path  which  is 
made  bright  with  its  passage.  Yet,  could  a  giant  at 
that  moment  of  its  touching  this  exact  spot  on  which  I 
lay  my  hand,  thrust  it  with  sufficient  strength,  it  would 
leave  the  left-hand  road  and  take  the  right-hand  road." 

"  And  if  it  did,  what  then,  Lord  Oro?  " 

"  Then  within  an  hour  or  so,  when  it  had  travelled 
far  enough  upon  its  way,  the  balance  of  the  earth  would 
be  changed,  and  great  things  would  happen  in  the 
world  above,  as  once  they  happened  in  bygone  days. 
Now  do  you  understand,  Humphrey  ?  " 

"  Good  Heavens !  Yes,  I  understand  now,"  I 
answered.  "  But  fortunately  there  is  no  such  giant." 

Oro  broke  into  a  mocking  laugh  and  his  grey  old 
face  lit  up  with  a  fiendish  exultation,  as  he  cried : 

"Fool!  I,  Oro,  am  that  giant.  Once  in  the  dead 
days  I  turned  the  balance  of  the  world  from  the  right- 
hand  road  which  now  is  dull  with  disuse,  to  the  left- 
hand  road  which  glitters  so  brightly  to  your  eyes,  and 
the  face  of  the  earth  was  changed.  Now  again  I  will 
turn  it  from  the  left-hand  road  to  the  right-hand  road 
in  which  for  millions  of  years  it  was  wont  to  run,  and 
once  more  the  face  of  the  earth  shall  change,  and  those 
who  are  left  living  upon  the  earth,  or  who  in  the  course 


Sacrifice  373 

of  ages  shall  come  to  live  upon  the  new  earth,  musU 
bow  down  to  Oro  and  take  him  and  his  seed  to  be  their 
gods  and  kings." 

When  I  heard  this  I  was  overwhelmed  and  could 
not  answer.  Also  I  remembered  a  certain  confused 
picture  which  Yva  had  shown  to  us  in  the  Temple  of 
Nyo.  But  supported  by  his  disbelief,  Bickley  asked: 

"And  how  often  does  the  balance  of  which  you 
speak  come  this  way,  Lord  Oro  ?  " 

"  Once  only  in  many  years ;  the  number  is  my  secret, 
Bickley,"  he  replied. 

"  Then  there  is  every  reason  to  hope  that  it  will  not 
trouble  us,"  remarked  Bickley  with  a  suspicion  of 
mockery  in  his  voice. 

"Do  you  think  so,  you  learned  Bickley?"  asked 
Oro.  "If  so,  I  do  not.  Unless  my  skill  has  failed  me 
and  my  calculations  have  gone  awry,  that  Traveller  of 
which  I  tell  should  presently  be  with  us.  Hearken 
now !  What  is  that  sound  we  hear?  " 

As  he  spoke  there  reached  our  ears  the  first,  far-off 
murmurs  of  a  dreadful  music.  I  cannot  describe  it  in 
words  because  that  is  impossible,  but  it  was  something 
like  to  the  buzz  of  a  thousand  humming-tops  such  as 
are  loved  by  children  because  of  their  weird  song. 

"  Back  to  the  wall !  "  cried  Oro  triumphantly.  "  The 
time  is  short !  " 

So  back  we  went,  Oro  pausing  a  while  behind  and 
overtaking  us  with  long,  determined  strides.  Yva  led 
us,  gliding  at  my  side  and,  as  I  thought,  now  and 
again  glanced  at  my  face  with  a  look  that  was  half 
anxious  and  half  pitiful.  Also  twice  she  stooped  and 
patted  Tommy. 

We  reached  the  wall,  though  not  quite  at  the  spot 


374  When  the  World  Shook 

whence  we  had  started  to  examine  the  grooved  roads. 
At  least  I  think  this  was  so,  since  now  for  the  first 
time  I  observed  a  kind  of  little  window  in  its  rocky  face. 
It  stood  about  five  feet  from  its  floor  level,  and  was 
perhaps  ten  inches  square,  not  more.  In  short,  except 
for  its  shape  it  resembled  a  ship's  porthole  rather  than 
a  window.  Its  substance  appeared  to  be  talc,  or  some 
such  material,  and  inches  thick,  yet  through  it,  after 
Oro  had  cast  aside  some  sort  of  covering,  came  a  glare 
like  that  of  a  search-light.  In  fact  it  was  a  search-light 
so  far  as  concerned  one  of  its  purposes. 

By  this  window  or  porthole  lay  a  pile  of  cloaks,  also 
four  objects  which  looked  like  Zulu  battle  shields  cut 
in  some  unknown  metal  or  material.  Very  deftly,  very 
quietly,  Yva  lifted  these  cloaks  and  wrapped  one  of 
them  about  each  of  us,  and  while  she  was  thus  em- 
ployed I  noticed  that  they  were  of  a  substance  very 
similar  to  that  of  the  gown  she  wore,  which  I  have 
described,  but  harder.  Next  she  gave  one  of  the  metal- 
like  shields  to  each  of  us,  bidding  us  hold  them  in 
front  of  our  bodies  and  heads,  and  only  to  look  through 
certain  slits  in  them  in  which  were  eye-pieces  that 
appeared  to  be  of  the  same  horny  stuff  as  the  search- 
light window.  Further,  she  commanded  us  to  stand 
in  a  row  with  our  backs  against  the  rock  wall,  at 
certain  spots  which  she  indicated  with  great  precision, 
and  whatever  we  saw  or  heard  on  no  account  to  move. 

So  there  we  stood,  Bickley  next  to  me,  and  beyond 
him  Bastin.  Then  Yva  took  the  fourth  shield,  as  I 
noted  a  much  larger  one  than  ours,  and  placed  herself 
between  me  and  the  search-light  or  porthole.  On  the 
other  side  of  this  was  Oro  who  had  no  shield. 

These  arrangements  took  some  minutes  and  during 
that  time  occupied  all  our  attention.  When  they  were 


Sacrifice  375 

completed,  however,  our  curiosity  and  fear  began  to 
re-assert  themselves.  I  looked  about  me  and  perceived 
that  Oro  had  his  right  hand  upon  what  seemed  to  be  a 
rough  stone  rod,  in  shape  not  unlike  that  with  which 
railway  points  are  moved.  He  shouted  to  us  to  stand 
still  and  keep  the  shields  over  our  faces.  Then  very 
gently  he  pressed  upon  the  lever.  The  porthole  sank 
the  fraction  of  an  inch,  and  instantly  there  leapt  from  it 
a  most  terrific  blaze  of  lightning,  which  shot  across 
the  blackness  in  front  and,  as  lightning  does,  revealed 
far,  far  away  another  wall,  or  rather  cliff,  like  that 
against  which  we  leant. 

"  All  works  well,"  exclaimed  Oro  in  a  satisfied 
voice,  lifting  his  hand  from  the  rod,  "  and  the  strength 
which  I  have  stored  will  be  more  than  enough." 

Meanwhile  the  humming  noise  came  nearer  and 
grew  in  volume. 

"  I  say,"  said  Bickley,  "  as  you  know,  I  have  been 
sceptical,  but  I  don't  like  this  business.  Oro,  what  are 
you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  Sink  half  the  world  beneath  the  seas,"  said  Oro, 
"and  raise  up  that  which  I  drowned  more  than  two 
thousand  centuries  ago.  But  as  you  do  not  believe  that 
I  have  this  power,  Bickley,  why  do  you  ask  such 
questions  ?  " 

"/  believe  that  you  have  it,  which  was  why  I  tried 
to  shoot  you  yesterday,"  said  Bastin.  "  For  your  soul's 
sake  I  beg  you  to  desist  from  an  attempt  which  I  am 
sure  will  not  succeed,  but  which  will  certainly  involve 
your  eternal  damnation,  since  the  failure  will  be  no 
fault  of  yours." 

Then  I  spoke  also,  saying: 

"  I  implore  you,  Lord  Oro,  to  let  this  business  be. 
I  do  not  know  exactly  how  much  or  how  little  you  can 


376  When  the  World  Shook 

do,  but  I  understand  that  your  object  is  to  slay  men  by 
millions  in  order  to  raise  up  another  world  of  which 
you  will  be  the  absolute  king,  as  you  were  of  some  past 
empire  that  has  been  destroyed,  either  through  your 
agency  or  otherwise.  No  good  can  come  of  such  am- 
bitions. Like  Bastin,  for  your  soul's  sake  I  pray  you 
to  let  them  be." 

"  What  Humphrey  says  I  repeat,"  said  Yva.  "  My 
Father,  although  you  know  it  not,  you  seek  great  evil, 
and  from  these  hopes  you  sow  you  will  harvest  nothing 
save  a  loss  of  which  you  do  not  dream.  Moreover, 
your  plans  will  fail.  Now  I  who  am,  like  yourself,  of 
the  Children  of  Wisdom,  have  spoken  for  the  first  and 
last  time,  and  my  words  are  true.  I  pray  you  give 
them  weight,  my  Father." 

Oro  heard,  and  grew  furious. 

"  What !  "  he  said.  "  Are  you  against  me,  every 
one,  and  my  own  daughter  also?  I  would  lift  you  up, 
I  would  make  you  rulers  of  a  new  world;  I  would  de- 
stroy your  vile  civilisations  which  I  have  studied  with 
my  eyes,  that  I  may  build  better!  To  you,  Humphrey, 
I  would  give  my  only  child  in  marriage  that  from  you 
may  spring  a  divine  race  of  kings!  And  yet  you  are 
against  me  and  set  up  your  puny  scruples  as  a  barrier 
across  my  path  of  wisdom.  Well,  I  tread  them  down, 
I  go  on  my  appointed  way.  But  beware  how  you  try 
to  hold  me  back.  If  any  one  of  you  should  attempt 
to  come  between  me  and  my  ends,  know  that  I  will 
destroy  you  all.  Obey  or  die." 

"  Well,  he  has  had  his  chance  and  he  won't  take 
it,"  said  Bastin  in  the  silence  that  followed.  "  The 
man  must  go  to  the  devil  his  own  way  and  there  is 
nothing  more  to  be  said." 

I  say  the  silence,  but  it  was  no  more  silent.     The 


Sacrifice  377 

distant  humming  grew  to  a  roar,  the  roar  to  a  hellish 
hurricane  of  sound  which  presently  drowned  all  attempts 
at  ordinary  speech. 

Then  bellowing  like  ten  millions  of  bulls,  at  length 
far  away  there  appeared  something  terrible.  I  can 
only  describe  its  appearance  as  that  of  an  attenuated 
mountain  on  fire.  When  it  drew  nearer  I  perceived 
that  it  was  more  like  a  ballet-dancer  whirling  round 
and  round  upon  her  toes,  or  rather  all  the  ballet-dancers 
in  the  world  rolled  into  one  and  then  multiplied  a 
million  times  in  size.  No,  it  was  like  a  mushroom  with 
two  stalks,  one  above  and  one  below,  or  a  huge  top  with 
a  point  on  which  it  spun,  a  swelling  belly  and  another 
point  above.  But  what  a  top!  It  must  have  been  two 
thousand  feet  high,  if  it  was  an  inch,  and  its  circum- 
ference who  could  measure? 

On  it  came,  dancing,  swaying  and  spinning  at  a 
rate  inconceivable,  so  that  it  looked  like  a  gigantic 
wheel  of  fire.  Yet  it  was  not  fire  that  clothed  it  but 
rather  some  phosphorescence,  since  from  it  came  no 
heat.  Yes,  a  phosphorescence  arranged  in  bands  of 
ghastly  blue  and  lurid  red,  with  streaks  of  other  colours 
running  up  between,  and  a  kind  of  waving  fringe  of 
purple. 

The  fire-mountain  thundered  on  with  a  voice  like  to 
that  of  avalanches  or  of  icebergs  crashing  from  their 
parent  glaciers  to  the  sea.  Its  terrific  aspect  was  appal- 
ling, and  its  weight  caused  the  solid  rock  to  quiver  like 
a  leaf.  Watching  it,  we  felt  as  ants  might  feel  at  the 
advent  of  the  crack  of  doom,  for  its  mere  height  and 
girth  and  size  overwhelmed  us.  We  could  not  even 
speak.  The  last  words  I  heard  were  from  the  mouth  of 
Oro  who  screamed  out: 

"  Behold  the  balance  of  the  World,  you  miserable, 


378  When  the  World  Shook 

doubting  men,  and  behold  me  change  its  path — turning 
it  as  the  steersman  turns  a  ship! " 

Then  he  made  certain  signs  to  Yva,  who  in 
obedience  to  them  approached  the  porthole  or  search- 
light to  which  she  did  something  that  I  could  not 
distinguish.  The  effect  was  to  make  the  beam  of  light 
much  stronger  and  sharper,  also  to  shift  it  on  to  the 
point  or  foot  of  the  spinning  mountain  and,  by  an 
aiming  of  the  lens  from  time  to  time,  to  keep  it  there. 

This  went  on  for  a  while,  since  the  dreadful  thing 
did  not  travel  fast  notwithstanding  the  frightful  speed 
of  its  revolutions.  I  should  doubt  indeed  if  it  advanced 
more  quickly  than  a  man  could  walk;  at  any  rate  so  it 
seemed  to  us.  But  we  had  no  means  of  judging  its  real 
rate  of  progress  whereof  we  knew  as  little  as  we 
did  of  the  course  it  followed  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 
Perhaps  that  was  spiral,  from  the  world's  deep  heart 
upwards,  and  this  was  the  highest  point  it  reached.  Or 
perhaps  it  remained  stationary,  but  still  spinning,  for 
scores  or  hundreds  of  years  in  some  central  power- 
house of  its  own,  whence,  in  obedience  to  unknown 
laws,  from  time  to  time  it  made  these  terrific  journeys. 

No  one  knows,  unless  perhaps  Oro  did,  in  which  case 
he  kept  the  information  to  himself,  and  no  one  will  ever 
know.  At  any  rate  there  it  was,  travelling  towards  us 
on  its  giant  butt,  the  peg  of  the  top  as  it  were,  which, 
hidden  in  a  cloud  of  friction-born  sparks  that  enveloped 
it  like  the  cup  of  a  curving  flower  of  fire,  whirled  round 
and  round  at  an  infinite  speed.  It  was  on  this  flaming 
flower  that  the  search-light  played  steadily,  doubtless 
that  Oro  might  mark  and  measure  its  monstrous 
progress. 

"  He  is  going  to  try  to  send  the  thing  down  the 
right-hand  path,"  I  shouted  into  Bickley's  ear. 


Sacrifice  379 

"Can't  be  done!  Nothing  can  shift  a  travelling 
weight  of  tens  of  millions  of  tons  one  inch,"  Bickley 
roared  back,  trying  to  look  confident. 

Clearly,  however,  Yva  thought  that  it  could  be 
done,  for  of  a  sudden  she  cast  down  her  shield  and, 
throwing  herself  upon  her  knees,  stretched  out  her 
hands  in  supplication  to  her  father.  I  understood,  as 
did  we  all,  that  she  was  imploring  him  to  abandon  his 
hellish  purpose.  He  glared  at  her  and  shook  his  head. 
Then,  as  she  still  went  on  praying,  he  struck  her  across 
the  face  with  his  hand  and  pushed  her  to  her  feet  again. 
My  blood  boiled  as  I  saw  it  and  I  think  I  should  have 
sprung  at  him,  had  not  Bickley  caught  hold  of  me, 
shouting,  "  Don't,  or  he  will  kill  her  and  us  too." 

Yva  lifted  her  shield  and  returned  to  her  station, 
and  in  the  blue  discharges  which  now  flashed  almost 
continuously,  and  the  phosphorescent  glare  of  the 
advancing  mountain,  I  saw  that  though  her  beautiful 
face  worked  beneath  the  pain  of  the  blow,  her  eyes 
remained  serene  and  purposeful.  Even  then  I  won- 
dered— what  was  the  purpose  shining  through  them. 
Also  I  wondered  if  I  was  about  to  be  called  upon  to 
make  that  sacrifice  of  which  she  had  spoken,  and  if  so, 
how.  Of  one  thing  I  was  determined — that  if  the  call 
came  it  should  not  find  me  deaf.  Yet  all  the  while  I 
was  horribly  afraid. 

At  another  sign  from  Oro,  Yva  did  something  more 
to  the  lens — again,  being  alongside  of  her,  I  could  not 
see  what  it  was.  The  beam  of  light  shifted  and  wan- 
dered till,  far  away,  it  fell  exactly  upon  that  spot  where 
the  rock  began  to  rise  into  the  ridge  which  separated  the 
two  grooves  or  roads  and  ended  in  the  razor-edged  cliff. 
Moreover  I  observed  that  Oro,  who  left  it  the  last  of  us, 
had  either  placed  something  white  to  mark  this  first 


380  When  the  World  Shook 

infinitesimal  bulging  of  the  floor  of  the  groove,  or  had 
smeared  it  with  chalk  or  shining  pigment.  I  observed 
also  what  I  had  not  been  able  to  see  before,  that  a  thin 
white  line  ran  across  the  floor,  no  doubt  to  give  the 
precise  direction  of  this  painted  rise  of  rock,  and  that1 
the  glare  of  the  search-light  now  lay  exactly  over  that 
line. 

The  monstrous,  flaming  gyroscope  fashioned  in 
Nature's  workshop,  for  such  without  doubt  it  was,  was 
drawing  near,  emitting  as  it  came  a  tumult  of  sounds 
which,  with  the  echoes  that  they  caused,  almost  over- 
whelmed our  senses.  Poor  little  Tommy,  already 
cowed,  although  he  was  a  bold-natured  beast,  broke 
down  entirely,  and  I  could  see  from  his  open  mouth 
that  he  was  howling  with  terror.  He  stared  about  him, 
then  ran  to  Yva  and  pawed  at  her,  evidently  asking 
to  be  taken  into  her  arms.  She  thrust  him  away,  almost 
fiercely,  and  made  signs  to  me  to  lift  him  up  and  hold 
him  beneath  my  shield.  This  I  did,  reflecting  sadly 
that  if  I  was  to  be  sacrificed,  Tommy  must  share  my 
fate.  I  even  thought  of  passing  him  on  to  Bickley, 
but  had  no  time.  Indeed  I  could  not  attract  his  atten- 
tion, for  Bickley  was  staring  with  all  his  eyes  at  the 
nightmare-like  spectacle  which  was  in  progress  about 
us.  Indeed  no  nightmare,  no  wild  imagination  of 
which  the  mind  of  man  is  capable,  could  rival  the  aspect 
of  its  stupendous  facts. 

Think  of  them!  The  unmeasured  space  of  black- 
ness threaded  by  those  globes  of  ghastly  incandescence 
that  now  hung  a  while  and  now  shot  upwards,  down- 
wards, across,  apparently  without  origin  or  end,  like  a 
stream  of  meteors  that  had  gone  mad.  Then  the 
travelling  mountain,  two  thousand  feet  in  height,  or 
more,  with  its  enormous  saucer-like  rim  painted  round 


Sacrifice  381 

with  bands  of  lurid  red  and  blue,  and  about  its  grind- 
ing foot  the  tulip  bloom  of  emitted  flame.  Then  the 
fierce- faced  Oro  at  his  post,  his  hand  upon  the  rod, 
waiting,  remorseless,  to  drown  half  of  this  great  world, 
with  the  lovely  Yva  standing  calm-eyed  like  a  saint  in 
hell  and  watching  me  above  the  edge  of  the  shield  which 
such  a  saint  might  bear  to  turn  aside  the  fiery  darts  of 
the  wicked.  And  lastly  we  three  men  flattened  terror- 
stricken,  against  the  wall. 

Nightmare!  Imagination!  No,  these  pale  before 
that  scene  which  it  was  given  to  our  human  eyes  to 
witness. 

And  all  the  while,  bending,  bowing  towards  us — 
away  from  us — making  obeisance  to  the  path  in  front 
as  though  in  greeting,  to  the  path  behind  as  though  in 
farewell;  instinct  with  a  horrible  life,  with  a  hideous 
and  gigantic  grace,  that  titanic  Terror  whirled  onwards 
to  the  mark  of  fate. 

At  the  moment  nothing  could  persuade  me  that  it 
was  not  alive  and  did  not  know  its  awful  mission. 
Visions  flashed  across  my  mind.  I  thought  of  the 
peoples  of  the  world  sleeping  in  their  beds,  or  going 
about  their  business,  or  engaged  even  in  the  work  of 
war.  I  thought  of  the  ships  upon  the  seas  steaming 
steadily  towards  their  far-off  ports.  Then  I  thought  of 
what  presently  might  happen  to  them,  of  the  tremors 
followed  by  convulsions,  of  the  sudden  crashing  down 
of  cities,  such  as  we  had  seen  in  the  picture  Yva  showed 
us  in  the  Temple,  of  the  inflow  of  the  waters  of  the  deep 
piled  up  in  mighty  waves,  of  the  woe  and  desolation 
as  of  the  end  of  the  world,  and  of  the  quiet,  following 
death.  So  I  thought  and  in  my  heart  prayed  to  the 
great  Arch- Architect  of  the  Universe  to  stretch  out  His 
Arm  to  avert  this  fearsome  ruin  of  His  handiwork. 


382  When  the  World  Shook 

Oro  glared,  his  thin  fingers  tightened  their  grip 
upon  the  rod,  his  hair  and  long  beard  seemed  to  bristle 
with  furious  and  delighted  excitement.  The  purple- 
fringed  rim  of  the  Monster  had  long  overshadowed  the 
whited  patch  of  rock;  its  grinding  foot  was  scarce  ten 
yards  away.  Oro  made  more  signs  to  Yva  who,  beneath 
the  shelter  of  her  shield,  again  bent  down  and  did 
something  that  I  could  not  see.  Then,  as  though  her 
part  were  played,  she  rose,  drew  the  grey  hood  of  her 
cloak  all  about  her  face  so  that  her  eyes  alone  remained 
visible,  took  one  step  towards  me  and  in  the  broken 
English  we  had  taught  her,  called  into  my  ear. 

"  Humphrey,  God  you  bless !  Humphrey,  we  meet 
soon.  Forget  not  me !  " 

She  stepped  back  again  before  I  could  attempt  to 
answer,  and  next  instant  with  a  hideous,  concentrated 
effort,  Oro  bending  himself  double,  thrust  upon  the 
rod,  as  I  could  see  from  his  open  mouth,  shouting 
while  he  thrust. 

At  the  same  moment,  with  a  swift  spring,  Yva  leapt 
immediately  in  front  of  the  lens  or  window,  so  that 
the  metallic  shield  with  which  she  covered  herself 
pressed  against  its  substance. 

Simultaneously  Oro  flung  up  his  arms  as  though  in 
horror. 

Too  late!  The  shutter  fell  and  from  behind  it  there 
sprang  out  a  rush  of  living  flame.  It  struck  on  Yva's 
shield  and  expanded  to  right  and  left.  The  insulated 
shield  and  garments  that  she  wore  seemed  to  resist  it. 
For  a  fraction  of  time  she  stood  there  like  a  glowing 
angel,  wrapped  in  fire. 

Then  she  was  swept  outwards  and  upwards  and  at  a 
little  distance  dissolved  like  a  ghost  and  vanished  from 
our  sight 


Sacrifice  383 

Yva  was  ashes!  Yva  was  gone!  The  sacrifice 
was  consummated! 

And  not  in  vain!  Not  in  vain!  On  her  poor 
breast  she  had  received  the  full  blast  of  that  hellish 
lightning  flash.  Yet  whilst  destroying,  it  turned  away 
from  her,  seeking  the  free  paths  of  the  air.  So  it  came 
about  that  its  obstructed  strength  struck  the  foot  of  the 
travelling  gyroscope,  diffused  and  did  not  suffice  to 
thrust  it  that  one  necessary  inch  on  which  depended  the 
fate  of  half  the  world,  or  missing  it  altogether,  passed 
away  on  either  side.  Even  so  the  huge,  gleaming 
mountain  rocked  and  trembled.  Once,  twice,  thrice,  it 
bowed  itself  towards  us  as  though  in  majestic  homage 
to  greatness  passed  away.  For  a  second,  too,  its  course 
was  checked,  and  at  the  check  the  earth  quaked  and 
trembled.  Yes,  then  the  world  shook,  and  the  blue 
globes  of  fire  went  out,  while  I  was  thrown  to  the 
ground. 

When  they  returned  again,  the  flaming  monster  was 
once  more  sailing  majestically  upon  its  way  and  down 
the  accustomed  left-hand  path! 

Indeed  the  sacrifice  was  not  in  vain.  The  world 
shook — but  Yva  had  saved  the  world ! 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

TOMMY 

I  LAY  still  a  while,  on  my  back  as  I  had  fallen,  and 
beneath  the  shield-like  defence  which  Yva  had  given 
to  me.  Notwithstanding  the  fire-resisting,  metalised 
stuff  of  which  it  was  made,  I  noted  that  it  was  twisted 
and  almost  burnt  through.  Doubtless  the  stored-up 
electricity  or  earth  magnetism,  or  whatever  it  may  have 
been  that  had  leapt  out  of  that  hole,  being  diffused  by 
the  resistance  with  which  it  was  met,  had  grazed  me 
with  its  outer  edge,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  shield 
and  cloak,  I  also  should  have  been  burned  up.  I 
wished,  oh!  how  I  wished  that  it  had  been  so.  Then, 
by  now  all  must  have  finished  and  I  should  have  known 
the  truth  as  to  what  awaits  us  beyond  the  change :  sleep, 
or  dreams,  or  perchance  the  fullest  life.  Also  I  should 
not  have  learned  alone. 

Lying  there  thus,  idly,  as  though  in  a  half- 
sleep,  I  felt  Tommy  licking  my  face,  and  throwing  my 
arm  about  the  poor  little  frightened  beast,  I  watched 
the  great  world-balance  as  it  retreated  on  its  eternal 
journey.  At  one  time  its  vast  projecting  rim  had 
overshadowed  us  and  almost  seemed  to  touch  the  cliff 
of  rock  against  which  we  leant.  I  remember  that  the 
effect  of  that  shining  arch  a  thousand  feet  or  so  above 
our  heads  was  wonderful.  It  reminded  me  of  a  canopy 
of  blackest  thunder  clouds  supported  upon  a  framework 
of  wheeling  rainbows,  while  beneath  it  all  the  children 
of  the  devil  shouted  together  in  joy.  I  noted  this 

384 


Tommy  385 

effect  only  a  few  seconds  before  Yva  spoke  to  me  and 
leapt  into  the  path  of  the  flash. 

Now,  however,  it  was  far  away,  a  mere  flaming 
wheel  that  became  gradually  smaller,  and  its  Satanic 
voices  were  growing  faint.  As  I  have  said,  I  watched 
its  disappearance  idly,  reflecting  that  I  should  never 
look  upon  its  like  again;  also  that  it  was  something 
well  worth  going  forth  to  see.  Then  I  became  aware 
that  the  humming,  howling  din  had  decreased  suffi- 
ciently to  enable  me  to  hear  human  voices  without 
effort.  Bastin  was  addressing  Bickley — like  myself 
they  were  both  upon  the  ground. 

"  Her  translation,  as  you  may  have  noticed,  Bickley, 
if  you  were  not  too  frightened,  was  really  very  remark- 
able. No  doubt  it  will  have  reminded  you,  as  it  did 
me,  of  that  of  Elijah.  She  had  exactly  the  appearance 
of  a  person  going  up  to  Heaven  in  a  vehicle  of  fire. 
The  destination  was  certainly  the  same,  and  even  the 
cloak  she  wore  added  a  familiar  touch  and  increased  the 
similarity." 

"  At  any  rate  it  did  not  fall  upon  you,"  answered 
Bickley  with  something  like  a  sob,  in  a  voice  of 
mingled  awe  and  exasperation.  "For  goodness'  sake! 
Bastin,  stop  your  Biblical  parallels  and  let  us  adore, 
yes,  let  us  adore  the  divinest  creature  that  the  earth 
has  borne ! " 

Never  have  I  loved  Bickley  more  than  when  I  heard 
him  utter  those  words. 

" '  Divinest '  is  a  large  term,  Bickley,  and  one  to 
which  I  hesitate  to  subscribe,  remembering  as  I  do 
certain  of  the  prophets  and  the  Early  Fathers  with  all 
their  faults,  not  of  course  to  mention  the  Apostles. 

But "  here  he  paused,  for  suddenly  all  three  of  us 

became  aware  of  Oro. 


386  When  the  World  Shook 

He  also  has  been  thrown  to  the  ground  by  the 
strength  of  the  prisoned  forces  which  he  gathered  and 
loosed  upon  their  unholy  errand,  but,  as  I  rejoiced  to 
observe,  had  suffered  from  them  much  more  than  our- 
selves. Doubtless  this  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  he 
had  sprung  forward  in  a  last  wild  effort  to  save  his 
daughter,  or  to  prevent  her  from  interfering  with  his 
experiment,  I  know  not  which.  As  a  result  his  right 
cheek  was  much  scorched,  his  right  arm  was  withered 
and  helpless,  and  his  magnificent  beard  was  half  burnt 
off  him.  Further,  very  evidently  he  was  suffering  from 
severe  shock,  for  he  rocked  upon  his  feet  and  shook 
like  an  aspen  leaf.  All  this,  however,  did  not  interfere 
with  the  liveliness  of  his  grief  and  rage. 

There  he  stood,  a  towering  shape,  like  a  lightning- 
smitten  statue,  and  cursed  us,  especially  Bastin. 

"  My  daughter  has  gone ! "  he  cried,  "  burned  up 
by  the  fiery  power  that  is  my  servant.  Nothing  re- 
mains of  her  but  dust,  and,  Priest,  this  is  your  doing. 
You  poisoned  her  heart  with  your  childish  doctrines  of 
mercy  and  sacrifice,  and  the  rest,  so  that  she  threw 
herself  into  the  path  of  the  flash  to  save  some  miserable 
races  that  she  had  never  even  known." 

He  paused  exhausted,  whereon  Bastin  answered 
him  with  spirit: 

"  Yes,  Oro,  she  being  a  holy  woman,  has  gone 
where  you  will  never  follow  her.  Also  it  is  your  own 
fault  since  you  should  have  listened  to  her  entreaties 
instead  of  boxing  her  ears  like  the  brute  you  are." 

"  My  daughter  is  gone,"  went  on  Oro,  recovering 
his  strength,  "  and  my  great  designs  are  ruined.  Yet 
only  for  a  while,"  he  added,  "  for  the  world-balance 
will  return  again,  if  not  till  long  after  your  life-spans  are 
done." 


Tommy  387 

"If  you  don't  doctor  yourself,  Lord  Oro,"  said 
Bickley,  also  rising,  "  I  may  tell  you  as  one  who  under- 
stands such  things,  that  most  likely  it  will  be  after  your 
life-span  is  done  also.  Although  their  effect  may  be 
delayed,  severe  shocks  from  burns  and  over-excitement 
are  apt  to  prove  fatal  to  the  aged." 

Oro  snarled  at  him ;  no  other  word  describes  it. 

"  And  there  are  other  things,  Physician,"  he  said, 
"  which  are  apt  to  prove  fatal  to  the  young.  At  least 
now  you  will  no  longer  deny  my  power." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure,"  answered  Bickley,  "  since 
it  seems  that  there  is  a  greater  Power,  namely  that  of 
a  woman's  love  and  sacrifice." 

"  And  a  greater  still,"  interrupted  Bastin,  "  Which 
put  those  ideas  into  her  head." 

"  As  for  you,  Humphrey,"  went  on  Oro,  "  I  rejoice 
to  think  that  you  at  least  have  lost  two  things  that  man 
desires  above  all  other  things — the  woman  you  sought 
and  the  future  kingship  of  the  world." 

I  stood  up  and  faced  him. 

"The  first  I  have  gained,  although  how,  you  do 
not  understand,  Oro,"  I  answered.  "And  of  the 
second,  seeing  that  it  would  have  come  through  you,  on 
your  conditions,  I  am  indeed  glad  to  be  rid.  I  wish  no 
power  that  springs  from  murder,  and  no  gifts  from  one 
who  answered  his  daughter's  prayer  with  blows." 

For  a  moment  he  seemed  remorseful. 

"  She  vexed  me  with  her  foolishness,"  he  said. 
Then  his  rage  blazed  up  again: 

"  And  it  was  you  who  taught  it  to  her,"  he  went 
on.  "  You  are  guilty,  all  three  of  you,  and  therefore 
I  am  left  with  none  to  serve  me  in  my  age;  there- 
fore also  my  mighty  schemes  are  overthrown." 

"  Also,  Oro,  if  you  speak  truth,  therefore  half  the 


388  When  the  World  Shook 

world  is  saved,"  I  added  quietly,  "  and  one  has  left 
it  of  whom  it  was  unworthy." 

"  You  think  that  these  civilisations  of  yours,  as  you 
are  pleased  to  call  them,  are  saved,  do  you  ? "  he 
sneered.  "  Yet,  even  if  Bickley  were  right  and  I  should 
die  and  become  powerless,  I  tell  you  that  they  are 
already  damned.  I  have  studied  them  in  your  books 
and  seen  them  with  my  eyes,  and  I  say  that  they  are 
rotten  before  ever  they  are  ripe,  and  that  their  end  shall 
be  the  end  of  the  Sons  of  Wisdom,  to  die  for  lack  of 
increase.  That  is  why  I  would  have  saved  the  East, 
because  in  it  alone  there  is  increase,  and  thence  alone 
can  rise  the  great  last  race  of  man  which  I  would  have 
given  to  your  children  for  an  heritage.  Moreover,  think 
not  that  you  Westerners  have  done  with  wars.  I  tell 
you  that  they  are  but  begun  and  that  the  sword  shall 
eat  you  up,  and  what  the  sword  spares  class  shall  snatch 
from  class  in  the  struggle  for  supremacy  and  ease." 

Thus  he  spoke  with  extraordinary  and  concentrated 
bitterness  that  I  confess  would  have  frightened  me,  had 
I  been  capable  of  fear,  which  at  the  moment  I  was  not. 
Who  is  afraid  when  he  has  lost  all? 

Nor  was  Bast  in  alarmed,  if  for  other  reasons. 

"I  think  it  right  to  tell  you,  Oro,"  he  said,  "that 
the  only  future  you  need  trouble  about  is  your  own. 
God  Almighty  will  look  after  the  western  civilisations  in 
whatever  way  He  may  think  best,  as  you  may  remember 
He  did  just  now.  Only  I  am  sure  you  won't  be  here 
to  see  how  it  is  done." 

Again  fury  blazed  in  Oro's  eyes. 

"  At  least  I  will  look  after  you,  you  half-bred  dogs, 
who  yap  out  ill-omened  prophecies  of  death  into  my 
face.  Since  the  three  of  you  loved  my  daughter  whom 
you  brought  to  her  doom,  and  were  by  her  beloved, 


Tommy  389 

if  differently,  I  think  it  best  that  you  should  follow 
on  her  road.  How?  That  is  the  question?  Shall 
I  leave  you  to  starve  in  these  great  caves? — Nay,  look 
not  towards  the  road  of  escape  which  doubtless  she 
pointed  out  to  you,  for,  as  Humphrey  knows,  I  can 
travel  swiftly  and  I  will  make  sure  that  you  find  it 

blocked.  Or  shall  I "  and  he  glanced  upwards 

at  the  great  globes  of  wandering  fire,  as  though  he 
purposed  to  summon  them  to  be  our  death,  as  doubtless 
he  could  have  done. 

"  I  do  not  care  what  you  do,"  I  answered  wearily. 
"  Only  I  would  beg  you  to  strike  quickly.  Yet  for 
my  friends  I  am  sorry,  since  it  was  I  who  led  them  on 
this  quest,  and  for  you,  too,  Tommy,"  I  added,  looking 
at  the  poor  little  hound.  "  You  were  foolish,  Tommy," 
I  went  on,  "  when  you  scented  out  that  old  tyrant  in 
his  coffin,  at  least  for  your  own  sake." 

Indeed  the  dog  was  terribly  scared.  He  whined 
continually  and  from  time  to  time  ran  a  little  way  and 
then  returned  to  us,  suggesting  that  we  should  go  from 
this  horror-haunted  spot.  Lastly,  as  though  he  under- 
stood that  it  was  Oro  who  kept  us  there,  he  went  to 
him  and  jumping  up,  licked  his  hand  in  a  beseeching 
fashion. 

The  super-man  looked  at  the  dog  and  as  he  looked 
the  rage  went  out  of  his  face  and  was  replaced  by  some- 
thing resembling  pity. 

"  I  do  not  wish  the  beast  to  die,"  he  muttered  to 
himself  in  low  reflective  tones,  as  though  he  thought 
aloud,  "  for  of  them  all  it  alone  liked  and  did  not  fear 
me.  I  might  take  it  with  me  but  still  it  would 
perish  of  grief  in  the  loneliness  of  the  caves.  More- 
over, she  loved  it  whom  I  shall  see  no  more; 
yes,  Yva "  as  he  spoke  the  name  his  voice 


390  When  the  World  Shook 

broke  a  little.  "  Yet  if  I  suffer  them  to  escape  they  will 
tell  my  story  to  the  world  and  make  me  a  laughing- 
stock. Well,  if  they  do,  what  does  it  matter?  None 
of  those  Western  fools  would  believe  it;  thinking  that 
they  knew  all;  like  Bickley  they  would  mock  and  say 
that  they  were  mad,  or  liars." 

Again  Tommy  licked  his  hand,  but  more  confidently, 
as  though  instinct  told  him  something  of  what  was 
passing  in  Oro's  mind.  I  watched  with  an  idle  wonder, 
marvelling  whether  it  were  possible  that  this  merciless 
being  would  after  all  spare  us  for  the  sake  of  the  dog. 

So,  strange  to  say,  it  came  about,  for  suddenly  Oro 
looked  up  and  said: 

"  Get  you  gone,  and  quickly,  before  my  mood 
changes.  The  hound  has  saved  you.  For  its  sake  I  give 
you  your  lives,  who  otherwise  should  certainly  have 
died.  She  who  has  gone  pointed  out  to  you,  I  doubt 
not,  a  road  that  runs  to  the  upper  air.  I  think  that 
it  is  still  open.  Indeed,"  he  added,  closing  his  eyes 
for  a  moment,  "I  see  that  it  is  still  open,  if  long 
and  difficult.  Follow  it,  and  should  you  win  through, 
take  your  boat  and  sail  away  as  swiftly  as  you  can. 
Whether  you  die  or  live  I  care  nothing,  but  my  hands 
will  be  clean  of  your  blood,  although  yours  are  stained 
with  Yva's.  Begone!  and  my  curse  go  with  you." 

Without  waiting  for  further  words  we  went  to  fetch 
our  lanterns,  water-bottles  and  bag  of  food  which  we 
had  laid  down  at  a  little  distance.  As  we  approached 
them  I  looked  up  and  saw  Oro  standing  some  way  off. 
The  light  from  one  of  the  blue  globes  of  fire  which 
passed  close  above  his  head,  shone  upon  him  and  made 
him  ghastly.  Moreover,  it  seemed  to  me  as  though 
approaching  death  had  written  its  name  upon  his  male- 
volent countenance. 


Tommy  391 

I  turned  my  head  away,  for  about  his  aspect  in  those 
sinister  surroundings  there  was  something  horrible, 
something  menacing  and  repellent  to  man  and  of  him  I 
wished  to  see  no  more.  Nor  indeed  did  I,  for  when  I 
glanced  in  that  direction  again  Oro  was  gone.  I  sup- 
pose that  he  had  retreated  into  the  shadows  where  no 
light  played. 

We  gathered  up  our  gear,  and  while  the  others 
were  relighting  the  lanterns,  I  walked  a  few  paces  for- 
ward to  the  spot  where  Yva  had  been  dissolved  in  the 
devouring  fire.  Something  caught  my  eye  upon  the 
rocky  floor.  I  picked  it  up.  It  was  the  ring,  or  rather 
the  remains  of  the  ring  that  I  had  given  her  on  that 
night  when  we  declared  our  love  amidst  the  ruins  by 
the  crater  lake.  She  had  never  worn  it  on  her  hand 
but  for  her  own  reasons,  as  she  told  me,  suspended 
it  upon  her  breast  beneath  her  robe.  It  was  an  ancient 
ring  that  I  had  bought  in  Egypt,  fashioned  of  gold 
in  which  was  set  a  very  hard  basalt  or  other  black 
stone.  On  this  was  engraved  the  ank  or  looped  cross, 
which  was  the  Egyptian  symbol  of  Life,  and  round  it 
a  snake,  the  symbol  of  Eternity.  The  gold  was  for  the 
most  part  melted,  but  the  stone,  being  so  hard  and 
protected  by  the  shield  and  asbestos  cloak,  for  such  I 
suppose  it  was,  had  resisted  the  fury  of  the  flash.  Only 
now  it  was  white  instead  of  black,  like  a  burnt  onyx 
that  had  known  the  funeral  pyre.  Indeed,  perhaps 
it  was  an  onyx.  I  kissed  it  and  hid  it  away,  for 
it  seemed  to  me  to  convey  a  greeting  and  with  it  a 
promise. 

Then  we  started,  a  very  sad  and  dejected  trio.  Leav- 
ing with  a  shudder  that  vast  place  where  the  blue  lights 
played  eternally,  we  came  to  the  shaft  up  and  down 


392  When  the  World  Shook 

which  the  travelling  stone  pursued  its  endless  path, 
and  saw  it  arrive  and  depart  again. 

"  I  wonder  he  did  not  send  us  that  way,"  said 
Bickley,  pointing  to  it. 

"  I  am  sure  I  am  very  glad  it  never  occurred  to  him," 
answered  Bastin,  "  for  I  am  certain  that  we  could  not 
have  made  the  journey  again  without  our  guide,  Yva." 

I  looked  at  him  and  he  ceased.  Somehow  I  could 
not  bear,  as  yet,  to  hear  her  beloved  name  spoken  by 
other  lips. 

Then  we  entered  the  passage  that  she  had  pointed 
out  to  us,  and  began  a  most  terrible  journey  which,  so 
far  as  we  could  judge,  for  we  lost  any  exact  count  of 
time,  took  us  about  sixty  hours.  The  road,  it  is  true, 
was  smooth  and  unblocked,  but  the  ascent  was  fearfully 
steep  and  slippery;  so  much  so  that  often  we  were 
obliged  to  pull  each  other  up  it  and  lie  down  to  rest. 

Had  it  not  been  for  those  large,  felt-covered  bottles  of 
Life-water,  I  am  sure  we  should  never  have  won 
through.  But  this  marvellous  elixir,  drunk  a  little  at 
a  time,  always  re-invigorated  us  and  gave  us  strength 
to  push  on.  Also  we  had  some  food,  and  fortunately 
our  spare  oil  held  out,  for  the  darkness  in  that  tunnel 
was  complete.  Tommy  became  so  exhausted  that  at 
length  we  must  carry  him  by  turns.  He  would  have 
died  had  it  not  been  for  the  water;  indeed  I  thought 
that  he  was  going  to  die. 

After  our  last  rest  and  a  short  sleep,  however,  he 
seemed  to  begin  to  recover,  and  generally  there  was 
something  in  his  manner  which  suggested  to  us  that 
he  knew  himself  to  be  not  far  from  the  surface  of  the 
earth  towards  which  we  had  crawled  upwards  for 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  feet,  fortunately  without 
meeting  with  any  zone  of  heat  which  was  not  bearable. 


Tommy  393 

We  were  right,  for  when  we  had  staggered  forward 
a  little  further,  suddenly  Tommy  ran  ahead  of  us  and 
vanished.  Then  we  heard  him  barking  but  where  we 
could  not  see,  since  the  tunnel  appeared  to  take  a  turn 
and  continue,  but  this  time  on  a  downward  course, 
while  the  sound  of  the  barks  came  from  our  right.  We 
searched  with  the  lanterns  which  were  now  beginning 
to  die  and  found  a  little  hole  almost  filled  with  fallen 
pieces  of  rock.  We  scooped  these  away  with  our 
hands,  making  an  aperture  large  enough  to  creep 
through.  A  few  more  yards  and  we  saw  light,  the 
blessed  light  of  the  moon,  and  in  it  stood  Tommy  bark- 
ing hoarsely.  Next  we  heard  the  sound  of  the  sea.  We 
struggled  on  desperately  and  presently  pushed  our  way 
through  bushes  and  vegetation  on  to  a  steep  declivity. 
Down  this  we  rolled  and  scrambled,  to  find  ourselves 
at  last  lying  upon  a  sandy  beach,  whilst  above  us  the 
full  moon  shone  in  the  heavens. 

Here,  with  a  prayer  of  thankfulness,  we  flung  our- 
selves down  and  slept. 

If  it  had  not  been  for  Tommy  and  we  had  gone 
further  along  the  tunnel,  which  I  have  little  doubt 
stretched  on  beneath  the  sea,  where,  I  wonder,  should 
we  have  slept  that  night? 

When  we  woke  the  sun  was  shining  high  in  the 
heavens.  Evidently  there  had  been  rain  towards  the 
dawn,  though  as  we  were  lying  beneath  the  shelter  of 
some  broad-leaved  tree,  from  it  we  had  suffered  little 
inconvenience.  Oh!  how  beautiful,  after  our  sojourn 
in  those  unholy  caves,  were  the  sun  and  the  sea  and  the 
sweet  air  and  the  raindrops  hanging  on  the  leaves. 

We  did  not  wake  of  ourselves;  indeed  if  we  had 
been  left  alone  I  am  sure  that  we  should  have  slept  the 
clock  round,  for  we  were  terribly  exhausted.  What  woke 


394  When  the  World  Shook 

us  was  the  chatter  of  a  crowd  of  Orofenans  who  were 
gathered  at  a  distance  from  the  tree  and  engaged  in 
staring  at  us  in  a  frightened  way,  also  the  barks  of 
Tommy  who  objected  to  their  intrusion.  Among  the 
people  I  recognised  our  old  friend  the  chief  Marama 
by  his  feather  cloak,  and  sitting  up,  beckoned  to  him 
to  approach.  After  a  good  deal  of  hesitation  he  came, 
walking  delicately  like  Agag,  and  stopping  from  time 
to  time  to  study  us,  as  though  he  were  not  sure  that 

we  were  real. 

"What  frightens  you,  Marama?"  I  asked  him. 
"  You  frighten  us,  O  Friend-f rom-the-Sea.     Whence 
did  you  and  the  Healer  and  the  Bellower  come  and  why 
do  your  faces  look  like  those  of  ghosts  and  why  is  t 
little  black  beast  so  large-eyed  and  so  thin?     Over  the 
lake  we  know  you  did  not  come,  for  we  have  watched 
day  and  night;  moreover  there  is  no  canoe  upon  1 
shore.    Also  it  would  not  have  been  possible. 
"Why  not?"  I  asked  idly. 
"  Come  and  see,"  he  answered. 

Rising  stiffly  we  emerged  from  beneath  the  tree  and 
perceived  that  we  were  at  the  foot  of  the  cliff  against 
which  the  remains  of  the  yacht  had  been  borne  by  the 
great  tempest.     Indeed  there  it  was  within  a  couple 
hundred  yards  of  us. 

Following    Marama    we    climbed    the    sloping    patl 
which  ran  up  the  cliff  and  ascended  a  knoll  whence  we 
could  see  the  lake  and  the  cone  of  the  volanco  in  its 
centre     At  least  we  used  to  be  able  to  see  this  cone,  but 
now,  at  any  rate  with  the  naked  eye,  we  could  make  out 
nothing,  except  a  small  brown  spot  in  the  midst  of 
waters  of  the  lake. 

"The  mountain  which  rose  up  many   feet  in  1 
storm  which  brought  you  to  Orofena.    Friend-from-the- 


Tommy  395 

Sea,  has  now  sunk  till  only  the  very  top  of  it  is  to  be 
seen,"  said  Marama  solemnly.  "  Even  the  Rock  of 
Offerings  has  vanished  beneath  the  water,  and  with  it 
the  house  that  we  built  for  you." 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  affecting  no  surprise.  "  But  when 
did  that  happen?  " 

"  Five  nights  ago  the  world  shook,  Friend- from-the- 
Sea,  and  when  the  sun  rose  we  saw  that  the  mouth  of. 
the  cave  which  appeared  on  the  day  of  your  coming, 
had  vanished,  and  that  the  holy  mountain  itself  had 
sunk  deep,  so  that  now  only  the  crest  of  it  is  left  above 
the  water." 

"  Such  things  happen,"  I  replied  carelessly. 

"  Yes,  Friend- from-the-Sea.  Like  many  other  mar- 
vels they  happen  where  you  and  your  companions  are. 
Therefore  we  beg  you  who  can  arise  out  of  the  earth 
like  spirits,  to  leave  us  at  once  before  our  island  and  all 
of  us  who  dwell  thereon  are  drowned  beneath  the  ocean. 
Leave  us  before  we  kill  you,  if  indeed  you  be  men,  or 
die  at  your  hands  if ,  as  we  think,  you  be  evil  spirits  who 
can  throw  up  mountains  and  drag  them  down,  and 
create  gods  that  slay,  and  move  about  in  the  bowels  of 
the  world." 

"  That  is  our  intention,  for  our  business  here  is 
done,"  I  answered  calmly.  "  Come  now  and  help  us  to 
depart.  But  first  bring  us  food.  Bring  it  in  plenty, 
for  we  must  victual  our  boat." 

Marama  bowed  and  issued  the  necessary  orders. 
Indeed  food  sufficient  for  our  immediate  needs  was 
already  there  as  an  offering,  and  of  it  we  ate  with  thank- 
fulness. 

Then  we  boarded  the  ship  and  examined  the  life- 
boat. Thanks  to  our  precautions  it  was  still  in  very 
fair  order  and  only  needed  some  little  caulking  which 


396  When  the  World  Shook 

we  did  with  grass  fibre  and  pitch  from  the  stores.  After 
this  with  the  help  of  the  Orofenans  who  worked  hard  in 
their  desperate  desire  to  be  rid  of  us,  we  drew  the  boat 
into  the  sea,  and  provisioned  her  with  stores  from  the 
ship,  and  with  an  ample  supply  of  water.  Everything 
being  ready  at  last,  we  waited  for  the  evening  wind 
which  always  blew  off  shore,  to  start.  As  it  was  not 
due  for  half  an  hour  or  more,  I  walked  back  to  the  tree 
under  which  we  had  slept  and  tried  to  find  the  hole 
whence  we  had  emerged  from  the  tunnel  on  to  the  face 
of  the  cliff. 

My  hurried  search  proved  useless.  The  declivity  of 
the  cliff  was  covered  with  tropical  growth,  and  the 
heavy  rain  had  washed  away  every  trace  of  our 
descent,  and  very  likely  filled  the  hole  itself  with  earth. 
At  any  rate,  of  it  I  could  discover  nothing.  Then  as 
the  breeze  began  to  blow  I  returned  to  the  boat  and 
here  bade  adieu  to  Marama,  who  gave  me  his  feather 
cloak  as  a  farewell  gift. 

"  Good-bye,  Friend-from-the-Sea,"  he  said  to  me. 
"  We  are  glad  to  have  seen  you  and  thank  you  for 
many  things.  But  we  do  not  wish  to  see  you  any  more." 

"  Good-bye,  Marama,"  I  answered.  "  What  you 
say,  we  echo.  At  least  you  have  now  no  great  lump 
upon  your  neck  and  we  have  rid  you  of  your  wizards. 
But  beware  of  the  god  Oro  who  dwells  in  the  mountain, 
for  if  you  anger  him  he  will  sink  your  island  beneath 
the  sea." 

"  And  remember  all  that  I  have  taught  you," 
shouted  Bastin. 

Marama  shivered,  though  whether  at  the  mention  of 
the  god  Oro,  of  whose  powers  the  Orofenans  had  so 
painful  a  recollection,  or  at  the  result  of  Bastin's  teach- 


Tommy ,  397 

ings,  I  do  not  know.  And  that  was  the  last  we  shall 
ever  see  of  each  other  in  this  world. 

The  island  faded  behind  us  and,  sore  at  heart  because 
of  all  that  we  had  found  and  lost  again,  for  three 
days  we  sailed  northward  with  a  fair  and  steady  wind. 
On  the  fourth  evening  by  an  extraordinary  stroke  of 
fortune,  we  fell  in  with  an  American  tramp  steamer, 
trading  from  the  South  Sea  Islands  to  San  Francisco. 
To  the  captain,  who  treated  us  very  kindly,  we  said 
simply  that  we  were  a  party  of  Englishmen  whose  yacht 
had  been  wrecked  on  a  small  island  several  hundreds  of 
miles  away,  of  which  we  knew  neither  the  name,  if  it 
had  one,  nor  the  position. 

This  story  was  accepted  without  question,  for  such 
things  often  happen  in  those  latitudes,  and  in  due 
course  we  were  landed  at  San  Francisco,  where  we 
made  certain  depositions  before  the  British  Consul  as 
to  the  loss  of  the  yacht  Star  of  the  South.  Then  we! 
crossed  America,  having  obtained  funds  by  cable,  and 
sailed  for  England  in  a  steamer  flying  the  flag  of  the 
United  States. 

Of  the  great  war  which  made  this  desirable  I  do  not 
speak  since  it  has  nothing,  or  rather  little,  to  do  with 
this  history.  In  the  end  we  arrived  safely  at  Liverpool, 
and  thence  travelled  to  our  homes  in  Devonshire. 

Thus  ended  the  history  of  our  dealings  with  Oro, 
the  super-man  who  began  his  life  more  than  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  years  ago,  and  with  his 
daughter,  Yva,  whom  Bastin  still  often  calls  the 
Glittering  Lady. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

BASTIN   DISCOVERS  A    RESEMBLANCE 

THERE  is  little  more  to  tell. 

Shortly  after  our  return  Bickley,  like  a  patriotic 
Englishman,  volunteered  for  service  at  the  front  and 
departed  in  the  uniform  of  the  R.A.M.C.  Before  he 
left  he  took  the  opportunity  of  explaining  to  Bastin 
how  much  better  it  was  in  such  a  national  emergency 
as  existed,  to  belong  to  a  profession  in  which  a  man 
could  do  something  to  help  the  bodies  of  his  country- 
men that  had  been  broken  in  the  common  cause,  than 
to  one  like  his  in  which  it  was  only  possible  to  pelt 
them  with  vain  words. 

"  You  think  that,  do  you,  Bickley  ? "  answered 
Bastin.  "Well,  I  hold  that  it  is  better  to  heal  souls 
than  bodies,  because,  as  even  you  will  have  learned  out 
there  in  Orofena,  they  last  so  much  longer." 

"  I  am  not  certain  that  I  learned  anything  of  the 
sort,"  said  Bickley,  "or  even  that  Oro  was  more  than 
an  ordinary  old  man.  He  said  that  he  had  lived  a 
thousand  years,  but  what  was  there  to  prove  this  except 
his  word,  which  is  worth  nothing  ?  " 

"There  was  the  Lady  Yva's  word  also,  which  is 
worth  a  great  deal,  Bickley." 

"  Yes,  but  she  may  have  meant  a  thousand  moons. 
Further,  as  according  to. her  own  showing  she  was  still 
quite  young,  how  could  she  know  her  father's  age?  " 

"  Quite  so,  Bickley.  But  all  she  actually  said  was 
that  she  was  of  the  same  age  as  one  of  our  women  of 

398 


Bastin  Discovers  a  Resemblance       399 

twenty-seven,  which  may  have  meant  two  hundred  and 
seventy  for  all  I  know.  However,  putting  that  aside 
you  will  admit  that  they  had  both  slept  for  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  years." 

"  I  admit  that  they  slept,  Bastin,  because  I  helped 
to  awaken  them,  but  for  how  long  there  is  nothing  to 
show,  except  those  star  maps  which  are  probably  quite 
inaccurate." 

"  They  are  not  inaccurate,"  I  broke  in,  "  for  I  have 
had  them  checked  by  leading  astronomers  who  say  that 
they  show  a  marvellous  knowledge  of  the  heavens  as 
these  were  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  years  ago, 
and  are  to-day." 

Here  I  should  state  that  those  two  metal  maps  and 
the  ring  which  I  gave  to  Yva  and  found  again  after  the 
catastrophe,  were  absolutely  the  only  things  connected 
with  her  or  with  Oro  that  we  brought  away  with  us. 
The  former  I  would  never  part  with,  feeling  their  value 
as  evidence.  Therefore,  when  we  descended  to  the  city 
Nyo  and  the  depths  beneath,  I  took  them  with  me 
wrapped  in  cloth  in  my  pocket.  Thus  they  were  pre- 
served. Everything  else  went  when  the  Rock  of  Offer- 
ings and  the  cave  mouth  sank  beneath  the  waters  of 
the  lake. 

This  may  have  happened  either  in  the  earth  tremor, 
which  no  doubt  was  caused  by  the  advance  of  the  terrific 
world-balance,  or  when  the  electric  power,  though 
diffused  and  turned  by  Yva's  insulated  body,  struck  the 
great  gyroscope's  travelling  foot  with  sufficient  strength, 
not  to  shift  it  indeed  on  to  the  right-hand  path  as  Oro 
had  designed,  but  still  to  cause  it  to  stagger  and  even 
perhaps  to  halt  for  the  fraction  of  a  second.  Even  this 
pause  may  have  been  enough  to  cause  convulsions  of 
the  earth  abpye;  indeed,  I  gathered  from  Marama 


400  When  the  World  Shook 

and  other  Orofenans  that  such  convulsions  had  oc- 
curred on  and  around  the  island  at  what  must  have 
corresponded  with  that  moment  of  the  loosing  of  the 
force. 

This  loss  of  our  belongings  in  the  house  of  the  Rock 
of  Offerings  was  the  more  grievous  because  among 
them  were  some  Kodak  photographs  which  I  had  taken, 
including  portraits  of  Oro  and  one  of  Yva  that  was 
really  excellent,  to  say  nothing  of  pictures  of  the  mouth 
of  the  cave  and  of  the  ruins  and  crater  lake  above.  How 
bitterly  I  regret  that  I  did  not  keep  these  photographs 
in  my  pocket  with  the  map-plates. 

"  Even  if  the  star-maps  are  correct,  still  it  proves 
nothing,"  said  Bickley,  "  since  possibly  Oro's  astronomi- 
cal skill  might  have  enabled  him  to  draw  that  of  the  sky 
at  any  period,  though  I  allow  this  is  impossible." 

"  I  doubt  his  taking  so  much  trouble  merely  to  de- 
ceive three  wanderers  who  lacked  the  knowledge  even 
to  check  them,"  I  said.  "  But  all  this  misses  the  point, 
Bickley.  However  long  they  had  slept,  that  man  and 
woman  did  arise  from  seeming  death.  They  did  dwell 
in  those  marvellous  caves  with  their  evidences  of  de- 
parted civilisations,  and  they  did  show  us  that  fearful, 
world-wandering  gyroscope.  These  things  we  saw." 

"  I  admit  that  we  saw  them,  Arbuthnot,  and  I  admit 
that  they  are  one  and  all  beyond  human  comprehension. 
To  that  extent  I  am  converted,  and,  I  may  add, 
humbled,"  said  Bickley. 

"  So  you  ought  to  be,"  exclaimed  Bastin,  "  seeing 
that  you  always  swore  that  there  was  nothing  in  the 
world  that  is  not  capable  of  a  perfectly  natural  explana- 
tion." 

"Of  which  all  these  things  may  be  capable,  Bastin, 
if  only  we  held  the  key." 


Bast  in  Discovers  a  Resemblance       401 

"  Very  well,  Bickley,  but  how  do  you  explain  what 
the  Lady  Yva  did?  I  may  tell  you  now  what  she  com- 
manded me  to  conceal  at  the  time,  namely,  that  she  be- 
came a  Christian;  so  much  so  that  by  her  own  will,  I 
baptised  and  confirmed  her  on  the  very  morning  of  her 
sacrifice.  Doubtless  it  was  this  that  changed  her  heart 
so  much  that  she  became  willing,  of  course  without  my 
knowledge,  to  leave  everything  she  cared  for,"  here  he 
looked  hard  at  me,  "  and  lay  down  her  life  to  save  the 
world,  half  of  which  she  believed  was  about  to  be 
drowned  by  Oro.  Now,  considering  her  history  and 
upbringing,  I  call  this  a  spiritual  marvel,  much  greater 
than  any  you  now  admit,  and  one  you  can't  explain, 
Bickley." 

"  No,  I  cannot  explain,  or,  at  any  rate,  I  will  not 
try/'  he  answered,  also  staring  hard  at  me.  "  Whatever 
she  believed,  or  did  not  believe,  and  whatever  would  or 
would  not  have  happened,  she  was  a  great  and  wonder- 
ful woman  whose  memory  I  worship." 

"  Quite  so,  Bickley,  and  now  perhaps  you  see  my 
point,  that  what  you  describe  as  mere  vain  words  may 
also  be  helpful  to  mankind;  more  so,  indeed,  than  your 
surgical  instruments  and  pills." 

"  You  couldn't  convert  Oro,  anyway,"  exclaimed 
Bickley,  with  irritation. 

"  No,  Bickley ;  but  then  I  have  always  understood 
that  the  devil  is  beyond  conversion  because  he  is  beyond 
repentance.  You  see,  I  think  that  if  that  old  scoundrel 
was  not  the  devil  himself,  at  any  rate  he  was  a  bit  of 
him,  and,  if  I  am  right,  I  am  not  ashamed  to  have  failed 
in  his  case." 

"  Even  Oro  was  not  utterly  bad,  Bastin,"  I  said, 
reflecting  on  certain  traits  of  mercy  that  he  had  shown, 
or  that  I  dreamed  him  to  have  shown  in  the  course  of 


402  When  the  World  Shook 

our  mysterious  midnight  journeys  to  various  parts  of 
the  earth.  Also  I  remembered  that  he  had  loved 
Tommy  and  for  his  sake  had  spared  our  lives.  Lastly, 
I  do  not  altogether  wonder  that  he  came  to  certain  hasty 
conclusions  as  to  the  value  of  our  modern  civilisations. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it,  Humphrey,  since  while 
there  is  a  spark  left  the  whole  fire  may  burn  up  again, 
and  I  believe  that  to  the  Divine  mercy  there  are  no 
limits,  though  Oro  will  have  a  long  road  to  travel  before 
he  finds  it.  And  now  I  have  something  to  say.  It  has 
troubled  me  very  much  that  I  was  obliged  to  leave  those 
Orofenans  wandering  in  a  kind  of  religious  twilight." 

"  You  couldn't  help  that,"  said  Bickley,  "  seeing  that 
if  you  had  stopped,  by  now  you  would  have  been 
wandering  in  religious  light." 

"  Still,  I  am  not  sure  that  I  ought  not  to  have 
stopped.  I  seem  to  have  deserted  a  field  that  was  open 
to  me.  However,  it  can't  be  helped,  since  it  is  certain 
that  we  could  never  find  that  island  again,  even  if  Oro 
has  not  sunk  it  beneath  the  sea,  as  he  is  quite  capable 
of  doing,  to  cover  his  tracks,  so  to  speak.  So  I  mean  to 
do  my  best  in  another  field  by  way  of  atonement." 

"  You  are  not  going  to  become  a  missionary  ? "  I 
said. 

"  No,  but  with  the  consent  of  the  Bishop,  who,  I 
think,  believes  that  my  locum  got  on  better  in  the  parish 
than  I  do,  as  no  doubt  was  the  case,  I,  too,  have 
volunteered  for  the  Front,  and  been  accepted  as  a 
chaplain  of  the  201  st  Division." 

"  Why,  that's  mine !  "  said  Bickley. 

"  Is  it?  I  am  very  glad,  since  now  we  shall  be  able 
to  pursue  our  pleasant  arguments  and  to  do  our  best  to 
open  each  other's  minds." 

"You  fellows  are  more  fortunate  than  I  am,"  I  re- 


Bastin  Discovers  a  Resemblance       403 

marked.  "  I  also  volunteered,  but  they  wouldn't  take 
me,  even  as  a  Tommy,  although  I  misstated  my  age. 
They  told  me,  or  at  least  a  specialist  whom  I  saw  did 
afterwards,  that  the  blow  I  got  on  the  head  from  that 
sorcerer's  boy " 

"  I  know,  I  know ! "  broke  in  Bickley  almost  roughly. 
"Of  course,  things  might  go  wrong  at  any  time.  But 
with  care  you  may  live  to  old  age." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  it,"  I  said  with  a  sigh,  "  at  least 
I  think  I  am.  Meanwhile,  fortunately  there  is  much 
that  I  can  do  at  home;  indeed  a  course  of  action  has 
been  suggested  to  me  by  an  old  friend  who  is  now  in 
authority." 

Once  more  Bickley  and  Bastin  in  their  war- 
stained  uniforms  were  dining  at  my  table  and  on 
the  very  night  of  their  return  from  the  Front, 
which  was  unexpected.  Indeed  Tommy  nearly  died 
of  joy  on  hearing  their  voices  in  the  hall.  They, 
who  played  a  worthy  part  in  the  great  struggle, 
had  much  to  tell  me,  and  naturally  their  more  recent 
experiences  had  overlaid  to  some  extent  those  which  we 
shared  in  the  mysterious  island  of  Orofena.  Indeed  we 
did  not  speak  of  these  until,  just  as  they  were  going 
away,  Bastin  paused  beneath  a  very  beautiful  portrait 
of  my  late  wife,  the  work  of  an  artist  famous  for  his 
power  of  bringing  out  the  inner  character,  or  what  some 
might  call  the  soul,  of  the  sitter.  He  stared  at  it  for  a 
while  in  his  short-sighted  way,  then  said :  "  Do  you  know, 
Arbuthnot,  it  has  sometimes  occurred  to  me,  and  never 
more  than  at  this  moment,  that  although  they  were 
different  in  height  and  so  on,  there  was  a  really  curious 
physical  resemblance  between  your  late  wife  and  the 
Lady  Yva." 


404  When  the  World  Shook 

"  Yes,"  I  answered.    "  I  think  so  too." 

Bickley  also  examined  the  portrait  very  carefully, 
and  as  he  did  so  I  saw  him  start.  Then  he  turned  away, 
saying  nothing. 

Such  is  the  summary  of  all  that  has  been  important 
in  my  life.  It  is,  I  admit,  an  odd  story  and  one  which 
suggests  problems  that  I  cannot  solve.  Bastin  deals 
with  such  things  by  that  acceptance  which  is  the 
privilege  and  hall-mark  of  faith;  Bickley  disposes,  or 
used  to  dispose,  of  them  by  a  blank  denial  which  carries 
no  conviction,  and  least  of  all  to  himself. 

What  is  life  to  most  of  us  who,  like  Bickley,  think 
ourselves  learned?  A  round,  short  but  still  with  time 
and  to  spare  wherein  to  be  dull  and  lonesome;  a  fateful 
treadmill  to  which  we  were  condemned  we  know  not 
how,  but  apparently  through  the  casual  passions  of 
those  who  went  before  us  and  are  now  forgotten,  caus- 
ing us,  as  the  Bible  says,  to  be  born  in  sin ;  up  which 
we  walk  wearily  we  know  not  why,  seeming  never  to 
make  progress;  off  which  we  fall  outworn  we  know  not 
when  or  whither. 

Such  upon  the  surface  it  appears  to  be,  nor  in  fact 
does  our  ascertained  knowledge,  as  Bickley  would  sum 
it  up,  take  us  much  further.  No  prophet  has  yet  arisen 
who  attempted  to  define  either  the  origin  or  the  reasons 
of  life.  Even  the  very  Greatest  of  them  Himself  is  quite 
silent  on  this  matter.  We  are  tempted  to  wonder  why. 
Is  it  because  life  as  expressed  in  the  higher  of  human 
beings,  is,  or  will  be  too  vast,  too  multiform  and  too 
glorious  for  any  definition  which  we  could  understand? 
Is  it  because  in  the  end  it  will  involve  for  some,  if  not  for 
all,  majesty  on  unfathomed  majesty,  and  glory  upon 


Bastin  Discovers  a  Resemblance       405 

unimaginable  glory  such  as  at  present  far  outpass  the 
limits  of  our  thought? 

The  experiences  which  I  have  recorded  in  these  pages 
awake  in  my  heart  a  hope  that  this  may  be  so.  Bastin 
is  wont,  like  many  others,  to  talk  in  a  light  fashion  of 
Eternity  without  in  the  least  comprehending  what  he 
means  by  that  gigantic  term.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  Eternity,  something  without  beginning  and  without 
end,  and  involving,  it  would  appear,  an  everlasting 
changelessness,  is  a  state  beyond  human  comprehen- 
sion. As  a  matter  of  fact  we  mortals  do  not  think  in 
constellations,  so  to  speak,  or  in  aeons,  but  by  the 
measures  of  our  own  small  earth  and  of  our  few  days 
thereon.  We  cannot  really  conceive  of  an  existence 
stretching  over  even  one  thousand  years,  such  as  that 
which  Oro  claimed  and  the  Bible  accords  to  a  certain 
early  race  of  men,  omitting  of  course  his  two  thousand 
five  hundred  centuries  of  sleep.  And  yet  what  is  this  but 
one  grain  in  the  hourglass  of  time,  one  day  in  the  lost 
record  of  our  earth,  of  its  sisters  the  planets  and  its 
father  the  sun,  to  say  nothing  of  the  universes 
beyond  ? 

It  is  because  I  have  come  in  touch  with  a  prolonged 
though  perfectly  finite  existence  of  the  sort,  that  I  try  to 
pass  on  the  reflections  which  the  fact  of  it  awoke  in  me. 
There  are  other  reflections  connected  with  Yva  and 
the  marvel  of  her  love  and  its  various  manifestations 
which  arise  also.  But  these  I  keep  to  myself.  They 
concern  the  wonder  of  woman's  heart,  which  is  a 
microcosm  of  the  hopes  and  fears  and  desires  and  de- 
spairs of  this  humanity  of  ours  whereof  from  age  to  age 
she  is  the  mother. 

HUMPHREY  ARBUTHNOT. 


NOTE 

BY  J.  R.  BICKLEY,  M.R.C.S. 

WITHIN  about  six  months  of  the  date  on  which  he  wrote 
the  last  words  of  this  history  of  our  joint  adventures,  my 
dear  friend,  Humphrey  Arbuthnot,  died  suddenly,  as 
I  had  foreseen  that  probably  he  would  do,  from  the  re- 
sults of  the  injury  he  received  in  the  island  of  Orofena. 

He  left  me  the  sole  executor  to  his  will,  under  which 
he  divided  his  property  into  three  parts.  One  third  he 
bequeathed  to  me,  one  third  (which  is  strictly  tied  up) 
to  Bastin,  and  one  third  to  be  devoted,  under  my  direc- 
tion, to  the  advancement  of  Science. 

His  end  appears  to  have  been  instantaneous,  result- 
ing from  an  effusion  of  blood  upon  the  brain.  When  I 
was  summoned  I  found  him  lying  dead  by  the  writing 
desk  in  his  library  at  Fulcombe  Priory.  He  had  been 
writing  at  the  desk,  for  on  it  was  a  piece  of  paper  on 

which  appear  these  words:  "/  have  seen  her.  I " 

There  the  writing  ends,  not  stating  whom  he  thought 
he  had  seen  in  the  moments  of  mental  disturbance  or 
delusion  which  preceded  his  decease. 

Save  for  certain  verbal  corrections,  I  publish  this 
manuscript  without  comment  as  the  will  directs,  only 
adding  that  it  sets  out  our  mutual  experiences  very  faith- 
fully, though  Arbuthnot's  deductions  from  them  are  not 
always  my  own. 

I  would  say  also  that  I  am  contemplating  another 
visit  to  the  South  Sea  Islands,  where  I  wish  to  make 
some  further  investigations.  I  dare  say,  however,  that 

406 


Note  407 

these  will  be  barren  of  results,  as  the  fountain  of  Life- 
water  is  buried  for  ever,  nor,  as  I  think,  will  any  human 
being  stand  again  in  the  Hades-like  halls  of  Nyo.  It  is 
probable  also  that  it  would  prove  impossible  to  re- 
discover the  island  of  Orofena,  if  indeed  that  volcanic 
land  still  remains  above  the  waters  of  the  deep. 

Now  that  he  is  a  very  wealthy  man,  Bastin  talks  of 
accompanying  me  for  purposes  quite  different  from  my 
own,  but  on  the  whole  I  hope  he  will  abandon  this  idea. 
I  may  add  that  when  he  learned  of  his  unexpected 
inheritance  he  talked  much  of  the  "  deceitfulness  of 
riches,"  but  that  he  has  not  as,  yet  taken  any  steps  to 
escape  their  golden  snare.  Indeed  he  now  converses  of 
his  added  "  opportunities  of  usefulness,"  I  gather  in 
connection  with  missionary  enterprise. 

J.  R.  BICKLEY. 

PS. — I  forgot  to  state  that  the  spaniel  Tommy  died 
within  three  days  of  his  owner.  The  poor  little  beast 
was  present  in  the  room  at  the  time  of  Arbuthnot's 
passing  away,  and  when  found  seemed  to  be  suffering 
from  shock.  From  that  moment  Tommy  refused  food 
and  finally  was  discovered  quite  dead  and  lying  by  the 
body  on  Marama's  feather  cloak,  which  Arbuthnot 
often  used  as  a  dressing-gown.  As  Bastin  raised  some 
religious  objections,  I  arranged  without  his  knowledge 
that  the  dog's  ashes  should  rest  not  far  from  those  of  the 
master  and  mistress  whom  it  loved  so  well. 

J.  R.  B. 


TNI    OUINN    A    »00t«    00      MMM 
•AMWAY,    H.  4. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  L.BRARV,  LOS  ANGELES 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

305  De  Neve  Drive  -  Parking  Lot  17  •  Box  951388 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library  from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


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